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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547485">Just let me be free</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokoskwark/pseuds/Kokoskwark'>Kokoskwark</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(W is edited out), Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bang Chan is Whipped, Fights, Fluff and Angst, Han Jisung | Han is Whipped, Homophobia, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, I struggled with this one, Kim Seungmin is Whipped, Lee Minho | Lee Know is Whipped, M/M, Misunderstandings, Rich Hwang Hyunjin, Rich Seo Changbin, Slow Burn, Sort Of, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, changbin and hyunjin are rich, changbin and hyunjin best friends, changbins parents are assholes, chansung HAND HOLDING, chansung is very soft, eventually, idk how to tag, lots of angst but also lots of softness, minbin and seungjin a little more angsty, minbin and seungjin main but also lots of chansung, rip minho, so much chansung hand holding, struggling with feelings, without knowing it?, yeji and jihyo are minor characters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:33:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>74,082</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547485</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kokoskwark/pseuds/Kokoskwark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>College AU - Changbin and Hyunjin come from rich families and Changbin had finally managed to convince his parents to let him move out, which he does together with Hyunjin.<br/>They move into a dorm where Seungmin, Jeongin, Minho, Chan, Jisung and Felix live and are faced with lots of challenges at university.<br/>Hyunjin becomes very popular because of his looks, but he rejects all date offers (because he already has his eyes on a certain someone). Changbins parents don't like his roommates and still try to control his life, and Minho seems to have had some bad experiences causing him to be disliked by the majority of people.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Lee Minho | Lee Know/Seo Changbin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>165</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>160</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. New roommates</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I kind of struggled with this one hahaha but I always write for myself so as long as I enjoy writing it, it's fine! :)<br/>Hope you guys enjoy too!<br/>(Also, English is not my first language so don't mind any mistakes)<br/>Also! W**jin was a minor character but he is edited out!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Hey, sorry for interrupting, but Jeongin and I will be ordering some food for tonight, any preferences?" Seungmin asked. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin and Changbin shared a look. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh wow, uhm, we've never ordered food before." Hyunjin laughed sheepishly. "Uhm, I think I'm craving some lobster tonight." </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is kind of an intro! Enjoy! I will probably post a chapter everyday, but at the moment I'm writing this I'm not completely finished yet with the whole thing, so we'll see how it all pans out. (I do of course plan on finishing it!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Today the new roommates are coming, right?" </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin had almost forgotten about it until Chan asked just now, but they had heard about the two new roommates joining them in the middle of their holidays, a pretty weird time if you'd ask him. </p><p> </p><p>"I heard they're a second and third year." Minho commented, lounging on the couch. "Weird that they only come to the dorm now." </p><p> </p><p>"We'll see if they tell us." Chan said. </p><p> </p><p>Now Jeongin was getting curious about the new roommates, it would be getting even more chaotic with eight people in a dorm. </p><p> </p><p>As if Jeongin had summoned them, a knock sounded on the door and his roommates perked up in curiosity. Felix ran towards the door to open it and they were greeted with someone obscured by bags. <em> Damn, you need </em> that <em> much stuff?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Here, let me help you with those bags." Chan hurried over to take some bags from the girl, but she shook her head. </p><p> </p><p>"It's fine." She said. "Where should I put these?" </p><p> </p><p>"Please Jihyo," A boy appeared in the door opening. "the whole point of this is that we're going to do things <em> ourselves </em>. Let me put my own bags in my room." </p><p> </p><p>The boy speaking was small but buff and had cute cheeks like Jisung, and the way he whined sounded kind of childish, but he also gave off a little bit of an intimidating aura. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I'm getting paid to carry your bags so I'm finishing the job." Jihyo answered. "After I finish you're free. Now, where should I put the bags? My arms are starting to hurt." </p><p> </p><p><em> Free? Paid to carry the bags? </em> Jeongin looked confused while Chan showed Jihyo to the bedroom. Then another boy showed up in the door opening. He was the opposite of the other boy, he was tall and skinny and <em> gorgeous. Oh wow, he's like, Minho level handsome, </em>Jeongin thought. He wouldn't say that out loud, not wanting to give people the wrong idea, but Jeongin could appreciate a good looking face or body aesthetically any day. </p><p> </p><p>"There you are, Hyunjin." The small boy said. "What took you so long?" </p><p> </p><p>"I was just in the bathroom, jeez." Hyunjin sighed. "Jihyo already gone?" </p><p> </p><p>It was kind of weird how they were talking like there weren't five other people in the room. </p><p> </p><p>"Nope." Jihyo reappeared and gave a smile. "But I'll be going now. Behave I guess, but above all, have fun. You're free now."</p><p> </p><p>She clapped them on their shoulders and headed out, but not before turning around one last time. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, technically." </p><p> </p><p>After giving an apologetic smile she left and the two new boys finally acknowledged the existence of the other people in the room. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm guessing you two are our new roommates?" Chan began. "Welcome." </p><p> </p><p>The two boys gave a short bow.</p><p> </p><p>"Yes. I'm Changbin and that's Hyunjin." The short one, Changbin, introduced them. </p><p> </p><p>"And that other girl was like your servant or something?" Minho asked motioning to the door. </p><p> </p><p>Chan silently nudged Minho to tell him he should be polite. <em> Oh just let him be, they'll have to get used to it eventually.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah, no, uhm…" Changbin trailed off. </p><p> </p><p>"She was paid by her parents to carry our bags, she's a friend of our families and needed some money." Hyunjin explained. "Because Jihyos parents want her to actually work for her own money, unlike others…" </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin imagined he was talking about Changbin, or both of them. </p><p> </p><p>"That's why we're here, Hyunjin." Changbin said. "Because I want to do something myself for once." </p><p> </p><p>"So you're like, rich?" Felix asked. "If I may ask." </p><p> </p><p>"Well, yeah our parents are." Hyunjin nodded. "Especially his." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin nudged his elbow into Hyunjins side and Hyunjin dramatically doubled over, acting like he was just, like, stabbed or something. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, lovely to meet you." Chan bowed slightly. "I'm Chan, a third year in music production." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh! I'm third year music production too!" Changbin excitedly announced. "I'm not that good though, since the first two years I was homeschooled…" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh wow, his parents wanted to keep him home that bad? Or is that not the reason?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, I'm a dance major. Second year, also homeschooled first year." Hyunjin announced. </p><p> </p><p>"Oooh!! Me too!" Felix waved his hand excitedly, making the rest laugh. "Minho here's a third year." </p><p> </p><p>"Yo." Minho made a weird gesture. "The excited kid here is Felix by the way." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, hi." Felix giggled. </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin thought he could hear Hyunjin breath a short 'cute', but he wasn't sure. </p><p> </p><p>"My name is Seungmin, and me and Jeongin here are second years in the art of singing." Seungmin waved and Jeongin did the same. </p><p> </p><p>He thought he heard another 'cute' come from Hyunjin, but again, he wasn't sure. </p><p> </p><p>"And, uhm, I'm Jisung." Jisung waved awkwardly. "I'm also majoring in music production, but I'm in my second year." </p><p> </p><p>Minho squeezed Jisungs shoulder to try to calm him a little. Jisung didn't handle strangers well, he took some time to warm up to people, but once he got to know them better he could be one of the loudest and most eccentric of them all. </p><p> </p><p>"Well then, let's get you guys settled in." Chan clapped his hands together. "I'm guessing you want to unpack and chill some before we discuss the boring stuff like cooking and cleaning schedules?" </p><p> </p><p>The two boys nodded and went to the bedroom to unpack. After that was done, Hyunjin and Changbin asked to get a review of the things that were taught in the years they were homeschooled while Jeongin and Seungmin ordered some dinner. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, sorry for interrupting, but Jeongin and I will be ordering some food for tonight, any preferences?" Seungmin asked. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin and Changbin shared a look. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh wow, uhm, we've never ordered food before." Hyunjin laughed sheepishly. "Uhm, I think I'm craving some lobster tonight." </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin snorted. "You're not serious, right?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked confused for a moment before he realized what Jeongin meant. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, haha." He awkwardly scratched his neck. "Sorry, I don't really know what's the usual student food. Is it like, greasy stuff?" </p><p> </p><p>"No, well, it doesn't <em> have </em>to be." Seungmin laughed. "We can order some seafood if that's a good alternative." </p><p> </p><p>The two boys nodded and the rest agreed as well. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>A while later they sat at the table, eating their dinner. </p><p> </p><p>"Soo…" Chan began. "Turns out our new roommate has already lied to us." </p><p> </p><p>"What?" Jeongin hadn't expected Chan to say <em> that.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"He's like a freaking lyrical genius." Jisung said excitedly. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Aww, he's all excited. Nice.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"And that's coming from <em> Jisung. </em>" Chan smiled. </p><p> </p><p>"Ahh, no I'm not that good." Changbin waved his hands in defense, not knowing what to do with the compliments. "Especially at composing." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh come on, don't put yourself down." Chan patted the smaller boys shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin chuckled, eyes averting in embarrassment, it was kind of cute. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"So, how's the plebs food?" Minho joked a little later. </p><p> </p><p>"It's not as good as the home-cooked food, but it's pretty good." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but we're used to professional chefs cooking for us." Hyunjin laughed. </p><p> </p><p>"You have professional chefs cooking at home for you?" Felix asked in awe. "Why come to a dorm then?" </p><p> </p><p>"There there, let's maybe keep the amount of questions low." Chan urged and turned to the two new roommates. "You don't have to answer all of the questions." </p><p> </p><p>"Nah, we don't mind, right Bin?" </p><p> </p><p>"Hmmm." Changbin hummed in agreement. "We, well at least <em> I </em>wanted to do something myself for once, and I finally convinced my parents to let me live in dorms and have classes with the rest. Hyunjin just joined me." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, my parents are a little less strict." Hyunjin leaned on his hand and focused his attention on the two other dancers. "Anyway, what kind of dance are you majoring in? I'm doing modern." </p><p> </p><p>"We both do hip hop." Minho answered. "So I guess you and Felix won't share all of your classes."</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm. Too bad." Hyunjin said and Felix pouted as well. </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin was glad the two new roommates seemed nice and not nearly as stuck up as he would have expected from rich people. Then again, Changbin seemed to have wanted to escape his spoiled rich life so that spoke for him. Changbin even offered to do the dishes with Hyunjin, but Chan wouldn't let him. Hyunjin seemed to be relieved by that. Jeongin thought it would be kind of funny to have these two in their dorm. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>A little while later Changbins phone rang and he paled when he saw who was calling. <em> My parents are calling already?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Hello?" Changbin picked up and walked towards a more quiet spot. "Calling already?" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "Yes, we wanted to make sure you arrived safely. You aren't in our safe neighborhood now."  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin sighed. "I'm sure Jihyo already told you that we arrived safely." </p><p> </p><p><em> "She did indeed. We still don't understand why you felt the need to move out that bad, but now that you have, we shouldn't just ignore each other, right?" </em> His parents sounded like they still didn't support his decision. <em> "So tell us, how are the roommates? Are they decent? We can arrange a two-person room if you want."  </em></p><p> </p><p>Changbin rolled his eyes. "They're more than decent, they're very nice actually. They already helped me and Hyunjin review everything from the last few years." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "Oh really? So there are music production majors in your dorm? That's good. And dance majors as well? Also modern, I hope, or ballet. Is that all?"  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"No, they're doing hip hop…" Changbin mumbled and continued before his parents could comment. "We also have two majoring in singing." </p><p> </p><p><em> "Hmmm." </em> It sounded on the other side of the call. <em> "You sure you don't want that room for two? We wouldn't want poor Hyunjin to have to associate with those people."  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> 'Those people'? Really?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"At least give us a chance to see how things go. Maybe— <em> probably </em>they're all nice people." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "You're too kind, Binnie, wanting to give those poor people a chance, but don't let them walk over you or badly influence you. That would be bad for our familys name."  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah sure." Changbin half-heartedly answered. "Talk to you later, mom, dad. Byebye." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "Be safe Binnie. Byebye."  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin ended the call and plopped on the couch with a sigh, not minding the curious looks he got. </p><p> </p><p>"Parents?" Hyunjin asked and Changbin nodded. "They already want you back home?" </p><p> </p><p>"Well, yeah, but they didn't say that. They just insulted hip hop dancers and offered to, like, buy some apartment for the two of us. They were worried about bad influences and stuff." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin snorted. "Typical." </p><p> </p><p>"I'm actually surprised at how nice they seem to be." He continued. "And they're also really cute? We've upgraded if you ask me." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin chuckled at Hyunjin. His friend had been eyeing their new roommates for the past few hours, telling Changbin how cute or handsome they are. Changbin was the only one who knew that Hyunjin liked guys, and he was glad Hyunjin had felt comfortable enough to tell him. It wasn't that they thought Hyunjins parents would react badly in particular, just that they weren't good at keeping secrets - <em> that's where Hyunjin got that from - </em>and Changbins parents wouldn't react well. That was why Changbin didn't date much or thought about romantic relationships because his parents were that picky. </p><p> </p><p>"Anyone catch your eye yet?" Changbin grinned, maybe Hyunjin would score a boyfriend now that they were out of their rich community neighborhood, that would be nice. </p><p> </p><p>"No not yet, but I won't think about it. It needs to come naturally you know." Hyunjin smiled and gave Changbin a pat. "Maybe now that you're free you'll be able to enter the dating scene as well?" </p><p><br/>
Changbin shrugged. "Let's first see if my parents will <em> actually </em>let me be free."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Soon someone will catch Hyunjins eye though......</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Kind of whipped</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>His thought process was interrupted when he turned around and bumped into someone. Hyunjin lost his balance and fell on the ground. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh gosh sorry!" </p><p> </p><p>A familiar voice sounded and Hyunjin opened his eyes to see a pair of gorgeous eyes looking into his, making him breathless.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First day of class! Things are already being set into motion....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was the first day of class after a weekend of getting used to his roommates, and Hyunjin was already panicking. The break had just started and his class hadn't been with Felix so he didn't know where to go. Because Hyunjin had slept through his alarm they also hadn't had the time to show him around, so he had to find the cafeteria himself, but he was lost already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to find a familiar face in between the crowd, but he wasn't succeeding, he didn't even recognize someone from his modern dance class. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Damn, maybe I should've accepted that offer instead of trying to find the way on my own—</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His thought process was interrupted when he turned around and bumped into someone. Hyunjin lost his balance and fell on the ground. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh gosh sorry!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A familiar voice sounded and Hyunjin opened his eyes to see a pair of gorgeous eyes looking into his, making him breathless.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you okay?" Seungmin pulled Hyunjin out of his trance. "Sorry, I didn't expect you to turn around and walk this way." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The boy owning the pair of gorgeous eyes helped Hyunjin up and smiled, making Hyunjins heart skip a beat. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god, he's cute. And pretty. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you doing in this part of the building anyway?" Jeongin, who was standing next to Seungmin, asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I'm lost." Hyunjin gave an embarrassed smile. "Where do you usually sit during lunch?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We usually sit outside during summer, but there's also a cafeteria if you want to go there." Seungmin pointed up towards a sign that gave directions towards the cafeteria. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh. Oops." Hyunjins cheeks heated up in embarrassment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How many times can you embarrass yourself in one conversation, Hyunjin? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily Seungmin and Jeongin laughed lighthearted, </span>
  <em>
    <span>cute. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's okay, it can happen." Seungmins voice was gentle and perhaps Hyunjin swooned. "Wanna sit with us or rather not?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I'd like to sit with you guys." Hyunjin smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The people in his class were rather forward, complimenting his appearance and stuff while Hyunjin tried to show them his dancing. It was quite annoying actually, so he didn't want to sit with them even though they had offered. Now he was glad he hadn't accepted the offer, because the way Jeongin and Seungmin smiled and showed him the way to their lunch spot was the best thing Hyunjin had ever seen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hyunjin there you are!" Felix called when they arrived at the table. "I wanted to ask you to have lunch with us, but I couldn't find you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He switched to a singing major." Jeongin joked and Felixs eyes went wide. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really?!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, he didn't." Seungmin laughed. Hyunjin wouldn't mind hearing that laugh the whole day. "We just bumped into him there, he was kinda lost." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh…" Felix nodded. "I got lost on my first day too, haha." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, he ended up all the way in our part of the building." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin jumped at Jisungs voice sounding behind him. Hyunjin was glad to see Changbin with Jisung and Chan, with Changbin he would be more comfortable and there was less chance he would embarrass himself again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat down and ate their lunch, having some conversations, asking how the first day went, and Minho saying weird stuff. Hyunjin had noticed the older dancer did that a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Hyunjin right?" Some girl Hyunjin vaguely remembered from class stood next to their table. "We're throwing a begin-of-semester party this weekend and we were wondering if you wanted to come? If you give me your number I can give you the details." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girl handed over her phone and Hyunjin hesitantly took it to put in his number. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What can it hurt, I'll get to know my classmates better, right? Maybe Felix and Minho will be there too? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, hope to see you there." The girl smiled and skipped away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh wow, first day and Hyunjin is already scoring?" Minho raised an eyebrow. "Well, I'm not surprised. He has the looks." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What? Scoring?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm?" Hyunjin turned his head in confusion. "Aren't you guys invited too? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Haha!" Minho laughed. "First of all, those parties are for the cool, popular and pretty kids, and second of all, she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>into you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, really?" Hyunjin chuckled awkwardly. "But you two are handsome too— I mean, I could see people finding you handsome." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felix waved his hands in dismissal, shaking his head, while Minho laughed again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, but they've already established me as the weird guy so I don't check all the boxes." Minho said casually. "Or should I say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>queer </span>
  </em>
  <span>guy? Hahaha!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The friend group fell quiet and their eyes widened at Minhos comment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to make the joke, it just flopped out." Minho gave a lopsided smile and awkwardly repositioned himself. "Uhm, I hope you guys aren't uncomfortable now. And don't worry! I won't harass you or something, you can ask the rest— the rest of the roommates, not anyone else." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin and Changbin shared a look while Minhos friends whispered to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They would've gotten to know it eventually anyway." Minho said to his friends. "It's not like not the whole freaking faculty knows." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, sounds like there's a story there… </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're not uncomfortable with it!" Hyunjin quickly said. "We don't judge, right Bin?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin nodded. "No, we don't. I don't care about those things, I care if you're a good person or not." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, that's good." Chan breathed. "Please be a little more careful for yourself Minho, you of all people know how people can react." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, sorry." Minho mumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin felt bad for the dancer and wanted to comfort him, maybe say he liked guys as well, but what Chan said scared him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Chan basically said not to out yourself recklessly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that girl someone I shouldn't be hanging out with?" Hyunjin hesitantly asked, if he could, he'd rather not hang out with homophobic people. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? Oh, well I don't know her personally, she has never been mean to me or something if that's what you mean." Minho looked surprised by Hyunjins question. "But you can hang out with who you want or whatever." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minhos expression suddenly changed from a frown to a smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, you're here because you want to decide things for yourself aren't you? I won't stop you from that." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, that's nice of you, but I also understand that Hyunjin wants to know whether some people are mean or not before hanging out with them." Changbin said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, mean is subjective I guess…" Minhos smile disappeared for a short while before returning again. "But let’s not talk about this anymore, you can decide for yourself if you want to go to that party and get laid or something. My problems aren't yours, and besides, that girl seems okay." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They kinda are, though, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hyunjin thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>but those problems are for later. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, you think you'll go to the party?" Changbin asked when they were back at the dorm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He hadn't stopped thinking about what Minho and Chan had said. It worried him for Hyunjin since the tall boy was pretty naive - in a good way - and bad at lying. He had wondered how the whole faculty had gotten to know about Minho, was it an accident just like this afternoon or had someone broken his trust? Minho didn't seem like the naive and bad at lying type, but Changbin didn't know him that well yet, so he left those questions for another time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Dunno." Hyunjin shrugged. "I mean, a party sounds fun and I can get to know my classmates better, but if the intention of inviting me is so that some girl, or girls, can flirt with me…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They gave each other a conflicted look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I wish you'd go with me Bin…" Hyunjin whined and shook Changbins arm. "In case they flirt with me." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What can </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>do about that then?" Changbin tried to escape Hyunjins grip. "I have just as little experience with this as you! Can't you ask someone else to go with you? I'm sure you can bring friends right?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But the others don't know why I don't want girls to flirt with me…" Hyunjin mumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just ask if you can bring a friend, maybe you can even bring more!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah maybe." Hyunjin nodded and his expression changed. "But I'll do that later! Now you have to hear me out because you're the only one I can talk to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin turned his head in confusion, Hyunjins words were worrying, but his expression wasn't. "Everything okay?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes! Remember when you asked if someone caught my eye?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins gaze wandered and Changbin looked back to see where he was looking, but Hyunjin pulled him back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Don't look!" Hyunjin hissed. "I'll tell you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't expect you to be interested in someone already." Changbin laughed. "But on the other hand, I did."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll explain, it was pretty embarrassing but also funny." Hyunjin looked away again before continuing. "So, I was lost when looking for the cafeteria this afternoon, and I ended up in the singing part of the building and I bumped into Seungmin and Jeongin, like, literally bumped into them, well, mostly into Seungmin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But yeah, I fell down because I wasn't paying attention and when I opened my eyes I just looked into Seungmins eyes, and they're </span>
  <em>
    <span>gorgeous. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And he helped me up and stuff and laughed and… " Hyunjin stopped and sighed. "he's </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>cute… and pretty…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin smiled, </span>
  <em>
    <span>typical Hyunjin. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess I can see that, but be careful okay? I mean, I'm thinking they're all okay with, you know, but still." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin nodded. "I'll try." </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Channie?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisungs voice pulled Chan from his focus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, what's up?" Chan turned around to his friend. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, never mind." Jisung shook his head. "It looks like you're busy, and it's not that important." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No I was just messing around with some tracks, I have time." Chan pulled over a chair for Jisung to sit on. "What's up?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I just wanted some feedback on this song I had been working on during summer." Jisung said as he sat down. "It's not for any assignment or something, so it's not that important, but I was a little stuck at some point and it was bothering me." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed. "You know I always love to hear your songs, right? I don't care if it's for an assignment or not." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung nodded and sang and rapped a part of his song in multiple ways, asking what sounded the best. Chan thought Jisung was really talented, he was good at singing, rapping, and writing songs, and that was only talking about his skills. He was also really nice and sweet to others, he was funny, he was a hard worker, cute, handsome… in short, Chan was kind of whipped, but he mostly left that thought in the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave Jisung some feedback and talked about songs and stuff before a question popped into Chans head. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, how are you doing with the new roommates?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It had been almost been a week since Hyunjin and Changbin moved in, and Chan was pleasantly surprised by them, but he knew Jisung could get anxious around strangers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, haven't talked to them alone yet," Jisung began. "but I'm at least glad they accept Minho, and, uhm, everyone seems to like them so far, so I think it'll be fine." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay." Chan smiled and placed a hand on Jisungs shoulder. "That's good, take your time." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung smiled back. "Thanks Channie. I think it'll go faster because you guys are here, so I feel more comfortable." </span>
</p><p><br/>
<em>
    <span>Jisungs smile is the best, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Chan thought. He would do anything to make this boy smile. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Group project</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Guys." Changbin stopped Chan. "I don't care. As I said, I only care if someone is a good person or not, so you don't have to constantly make sure I'm okay with everything. I'll say it when I'm not okay with something, it shouldn't have to matter whether I know someone's sexuality or not." </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, okay good." Chan nodded. </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks." Minho smiled, he had a pretty smile.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Group project!! And Minho has a bit of a hard time being liked, but luckily not by Changbin.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next day was Friday, and Changbin had been glad to have someone with whom he shared most of his classes. Changbin wasn't shy around strangers like Jisung seemed to be, but it was nice to have someone by your side who was familiar with everything. </p><p> </p><p>"Welcome everyone." The professor began. "As you might have read in the class description, this class will be for a big group project, interdisciplinary, to test the skills you've learned in the past few years.</p><p> </p><p>The project will especially be of importance to you because it revolves around making songs. You will be asked to write and produce multiple songs, based on how many music producers are in the group, and the songs need to be coherent, form one total. There will also be requirements for a few songs, like theme or genre but you will have some free spots as well. </p><p> </p><p>At the end of this class, you will be asked to perform the songs. You may work with dance and/or singing majors to help you, but it is not necessary. We advise you to work with at least one other person, and not more than three music producers. If you'd like to be paired with people of other majors you can contact us. Any questions?"</p><p> </p><p>While a few students asked questions, Changbin looked around, seeing people already pair up. He looked towards Chan, who was looking at his phone, texting someone. </p><p> </p><p>"Can I join you, Chan?" Changbin asked. "Or did you already have other people in mind?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin hoped he could work together with Chan. Chan had let him hear some of his songs and he seemed really good at composing, Changbins weakness. </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm?" Chan looked up from his phone. "Yeah, of course! I was just texting Minho, he said he'd do this class too and we agreed that he would make a choreo or two for the songs. You okay with that too?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, yeah sure. I can't dance, though." Changbin said. "Would Minho be okay with me joining you too?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, well, it doesn't really affect him that much, but I'll ask." Chan smiled. "I'm sure he'll be okay with it." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay.” The professor continued. “If no one else has any questions about the setup of the project, you are free to look for partners, and start working on the project. If you have already formed a group you can register that here. You may apply changes to your group after you've registered, but only for the first few weeks. Please try to at least finalize the producers in your group as soon as possible so that you can start on the songs. Good luck."</p><p> </p><p>Chan stood up from his seat and grabbed his bag. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho said he was fine with you joining the group." He said. "Shall we register our group and meet up with Minho? He's done with the dancer version of this class too." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh okay sure." </p><p> </p><p>They registered their group and got their instruction sheet for groups with two producers. Then they met up with Minho at their lunch spot to look at the assignment and brainstorm a little. </p><p> </p><p>The assignment was to make eight songs in the coming three months. The requirements were to include an intro, at least one ballad, at least one love song, at least one song containing rap, and some requirements regarding the beat and instruments in the tracks.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh god, a ballad <em> and </em>a love song? Good luck Chan." Minho clapped Chan on the back and turned to Changbin. "He doesn't really make love songs or ballads." </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, me neither…" Changbin gave a lopsided smile. "Uhm, does that mean we need to add more people? And do we need extra singers? Because, I can rap, but singing is not my strong suit and I don't know if you want to do almost everything." </p><p> </p><p>Chan thought for a moment when someone approached their table. </p><p> </p><p>"Yo Chan—" A guy from their class waved and stopped in his tracks. "Ah, I wanted to ask if I could join your group, but I see you already have a second producer." </p><p> </p><p>Even though he said that, his eyes shot towards Minho too. He lowered towards Chan and whispered, but Changbin could just make out the words. </p><p> </p><p>"You sure you wanna team with <em> him </em>to perform a love song? I know he's your roommate, but don't let him take advantage of this." </p><p> </p><p>After that, he wished them good luck and left. </p><p> </p><p>"Let me guess, he was scared away by me." Minhos face didn't show any signs of him being bothered by it, but Changbin couldn't imagine that he wasn't. "<em> If </em>you want extra people in the group it's going to be hard finding them with me here." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin felt bad for the dancer, he didn't know what happened, but it must have sucked. It must <em> still </em>suck to have people be weary around you, not wanting to give you a chance. </p><p> </p><p>"Then we'll do it with the three of us, right?" Chan smiled to try to lighten the mood. "Maybe you can sing a little too, Minho? We'll make it work." </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks Chan." Minho smiled back. "I'm surprised you're still here, Changbin. You don't want to leave now you know the assignment?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin shook his head. "No, it'll be fine." </p><p> </p><p>He didn't want to leave the two of them alone to do the assignment, and he honestly didn't mind working with Minho, because he seemed nice, and that was all that mattered to him. </p><p> </p><p>"Really? I'd understand if you want to switch, you can go to that guy." Minho said and Changbin shook his head again. "You're okay with me choreographing a few songs for you?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, that's fine. I'm not good at dancing though." Changbin answered. <em> He’s really not used to people accepting him, huh? </em></p><p> </p><p>"That's okay, Minho is a good teacher." Chan said. "Uhm, if you want that. I can teach you too, but I'm not nearly as good as Minho, and he won't—" </p><p> </p><p>"Guys." Changbin stopped Chan. "I don't care. As I said, I only care if someone is a good person or not, so you don't have to constantly make sure I'm okay with everything. I'll say it when I'm not okay with something, it shouldn't have to matter whether I know someone's sexuality or not." </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, okay good." Chan nodded. </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks." Minho smiled, he had a pretty smile.</p><p> </p><p>They brainstormed for some ideas and before they knew it, it was lunchtime already. They told the rest about their assignment, and Minho happily told them how excited he was to create choreographies for three people. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh Changbin, does that mean you're going to sing?" Hyunjin asked. "He's actually pretty good, he had some lessons when he was younger." </p><p> </p><p>"I'm not that good… Don't have any expectations." Changbin waved his hands. </p><p> </p><p>His parents really wanted him to focus more on writing traditional songs, but Changbin had found he was better in writing raps. Of course his parents didn't like that.</p><p> </p><p>"If you want, we can sing something too." Seungmin offered, and Jeongin nodded. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh me too!" Jisung exclaimed. "It sounds like a really fun project. I can't wait to see the end product." </p><p> </p><p>"Then you'll have to perform with us too." Chan said. "We'll see if we need some help." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin smiled at the roommates being all excited to help, even though he knew them for a week he already saw how comfortable they were with each other. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The conversation strayed from the topic of their assignment and went all directions. Hyunjin was not so subtly staring at Seungmin while resting his chin on his hand. Changbin softly nudged him. </p><p> </p><p>"You're staring." He whispered. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjins cheeks colored pink as he put a hand in front of his mouth. "Oops. Thanks." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, Hyunjin." Felix began. "Have you already decided if you want to go to the party tomorrow?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin looked towards his tall friend, he knew he had texted to ask if he could bring friends, but he didn’t know if he had already gotten an answer. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, well I asked if I could bring friends, and they said I could bring one." Hyunjin explained. "And I think I want to do that, but I don't know who I want to bring yet, I'm afraid Changbin won't stop me from embarrassing myself— no, I'm afraid he'll embarrass us even more." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin laughed as Changbin slapped him with a whine, even though he knew he was just making excuses.</p><p> </p><p>"Well, if you want to get laid it'll only be awkward for the one you'll bring…" Minho commented. "But if you're not planning on that, I'll tell you people are going to try." </p><p> </p><p>"Minho…" Seungmin trailed off. </p><p> </p><p>"What? It's what I think." Minho defended. "Hyunjin over here isn't familiar with the college life yet, I'm just telling what he can expect." </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I'm not really planning on getting laid." Hyunjin said. "That's why I wanted to bring someone, I want to go to get to know my classmates better, bond over dancing, that kinda stuff." </p><p> </p><p><em> And not have them focus on his looks, </em>Changbin added in his thoughts. Hyunjin had complained about people finding his looks more important than his dancing, and Changbin could imagine how annoying that would be. </p><p> </p><p>"Felix, I think you'd be perfect to go." Jeongin proposed. "If you want to go, that is." </p><p> </p><p>"Sure, sounds fun!" </p><p> </p><p>Felix smiled and Changbin let out a breath of relief. Felix seemed really nice, he'd be good to go with Hyunjin, <em> and he seems like someone who wouldn't ask a lot of questions if Hyunjin rejects literally every girl. He seems like the type to just accept people with a smile.  </em></p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>That evening they decided to watch a movie with the eight of them, Hyunjin said he knew a good movie and Changbin warned it would <em> definitely </em>be a sappy one, but they had agreed to it. </p><p> </p><p>Minho had thought it would be funny, and indeed it was. Not only was the movie funny because it was so sappy, it was funny to see Chan squeak in embarrassment while Hyunjin and Jisung dramatically made comments about how <em> romantic </em>it was, Jeongin cringed, and Seungmin laughed along with him. </p><p> </p><p>In the middle of the movie, Changbins phone rang and Chan paused the movie to let him take it. Minho saw Changbin pale and sigh as he saw who called him. <em> Again? Is someone calling him every week? </em>Last time Minho hadn't listened in on Changbins call of course, but now he was a little curious. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, gotta take this." Changbin said as he walked over to the kitchen. "You can resume the movie if you want, but I hope this won't take too long." </p><p> </p><p>"Nah, we'll wait." Seungmin said. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin nodded and picked up the phone, giving a strained 'hello?'. Minho couldn't help but listen in on the conversation in this silence, his ears were just good and Changbin apparently wasn't good at keeping his voice down. </p><p> </p><p>"It went well, it's nice to actually be in class, especially with group projects." Minho heard Changbin say. "Hyunjins having fun too, I think."</p><p> </p><p>Silence. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, of course they are." Changbin sighed. "I'm really glad there's someone from my class, he's been really helpful." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> That's about Chan, I'm guessing.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah we do, I'm working with two of my roommates actually. So that are even more advantages of doing this." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> If this is him talking to his parents, it doesn't sound that bad. Why did he seem so reluctant to pick up?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Gosh, do you really need to know <em> everything </em>?" Changbin sighed again. "Yeah sure." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay fine. It's that helpful guy, Chan is his name, and one of the dancers… third year." Changbins voice got softer while he spoke, probably embarrassed about talking about Chan and him in the silence. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, we'll have to perform eventually."</p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I don't know." </p><p> </p><p>"Mom— please. He's really nice— he seems really nice." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Who are we talking about now?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Well, because Chan had already agreed…" Changbin turned around and lowered his voice so Minho couldn't hear properly anymore. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Is this about me now?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"No, I can't just do that— well, because—" Changbins voice got louder again. "Why do I need to explain myself to you? I live on my own now. I can make decisions for myself." </p><p> </p><p>He sounded very irritated and Minho wondered what his parents were saying. </p><p> </p><p>"How can you say such things when you don't even know anything about him except… dancer?" </p><p> </p><p><em> Dancer? So it's about me? </em>Minho looked towards the small boy on the phone, he looked very annoyed. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry. But I'm going to hang up now, we're watching a movie with everyone and I'm keeping them waiting. Bye—" </p><p> </p><p>"No, I will <em> not. </em>It's not your decision. Bye." </p><p> </p><p>With that Changbin angrily hung up and Minho quickly turned to the TV again. He heard the boy plop down on the couch with a huff. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's continue." Changbin grumbled, and Minho saw Hyunjin swing a comforting arm around him. </p><p> </p><p>The rest didn't dare to ask anything so Chan unpaused the movie, but Minho couldn't focus. <em> His parents hate me already, just because I'm a dancer? Or did Changbin also… no, he wouldn't have, right? </em> Minho shook his head, <em> maybe I'll ask him later.  </em></p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>After the movie, Changbin seemed to have calmed down, and Minho was hesitant to ask him about the phone call, but his curiosity took over. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, Changbin?" Minho began when the others went to wash up for bed. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin turned to him with a surprised expression. "Huh? Yeah?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, everything okay? You didn't, uhm, sound too happy on the phone." Minho thought it might be good to not directly ask about himself, maybe Changbin didn't even want to talk about it. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, that." Changbin looked down. "Uhm, that were just my parents trying to make decisions for me again, but everything is fine. Don't worry." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin gave a half-sincere smile. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, okay." Minho nodded. "I know it isn't really any of my business anyway, but I happened to hear that you were talking about the project, and, uhm, that your parents didn't seem happy with your group? Do I need to be worried about being bribed out of the group?" </p><p> </p><p>Minho joked, but when Changbins eyes widened he regretted it. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, no it was kinda funny." Changbin gave a breathy laugh and whispered under his breath: "It's something they would do."</p><p> </p><p>"Anyway—" He continued. "You don't have to be worried, I think. No, I don't think so. I told them it's my decision and I don't think you or Chan will be bothered by them." </p><p> </p><p><em> So you </em> will <em> ?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah okay." Minho nodded again. "May I ask why they're not okay with our group? Have you, uhm, told them about me?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbins eyes widened again. </p><p> </p><p>"No! Of course not!" He hastily said. "I wouldn't just tell someone! Especially not my parents." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah, so that would make them hate me even more. Not that I should care what the parents of someone think of me.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"They just don't think hip hop is a 'real' dance or something." Changbin explained. "Not sophisticated enough or something. But don't let that get to you too much, my parents make a sport of looking down on people, they can think of the most stupid reasons to look down on people." </p><p> </p><p>"That's a stupid reason indeed." Minho felt a little lighter now that he knew that. "Wait— didn't you say rap was your speciality? Isn't that, uhm—" </p><p> </p><p>"Not sophisticated enough?" Changbin finished. "Spot on. They've accepted it because the professors think I write good lyrics. They think rap is easier, so when I get better I'll switch to the sophisticated stuff— <em> and </em>I'm totally boring you now, sorry." </p><p> </p><p>"It's fine, I asked about it." Minho waved a hand. "Well, if it makes them feel any better, I can dance other styles as well." </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm, maybe. But as I said, don't worry about it, it's not your problem." Changbin gave a smile and left for the bathroom. </p><p> </p><p>Minho stood alone for a second, processing everything. It was wild to him that parents could want to decide every little thing for someone, even to the point of who they can and cannot hang out with. Minho was lucky that his parents were pretty supportive of him, even when they found out that he wasn't straight. </p><p><br/>
He decided not to think about Changbin and his parents too much because it wasn't his problem, but if Changbins parents would give Changbin too much of a hard time because of him, he might feel guilty. <em> We'll cross that bridge when we find it, </em>he thought and headed to bed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next chapter the partyyyy ooohhh<br/>poor minho though :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Well, I'm never going to a party ever again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Hey Hyunjin!" Some girl stumbled over, she seemed drunk. "You look absolutely amazing tonight…" </p><p>"Thanks." </p><p>"Well, except for the hair." The girl continued. "It needs something… something more wild and manly. Wanna go fix that together?"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The party! Hyunjins braids are inspired by that one talker hsjfbdjgh</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The day went by quickly if you asked Felix, before he knew it Hyunjin was already getting ready for the party. Felix shot a look to the clock, it was still more than two hours before they'd have to leave. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I thought Hyunjin was getting ready, but it's still too early." Felix looked towards where Hyunjin had disappeared. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh no, he's getting ready already." Changbin commented, casually lounging on the couch. "He always takes his sweet time." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A rich thing?" Jeongin asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, but also a Hyunjin thing. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>wouldn't take that much time if I'm not forced to." Changbin said, and from the way he sat on the couch, legs spread wide and slumped down, Felix believed him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A little more than an hour later, Hyunjin entered the living room again. He was wearing some light makeup and his long hair hung loose along his face. He wore a fancy short sleeved button up and high waisted slacks showing off his long and skinny legs. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh shit, maybe I should put in some effort as well. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow, and you said you weren't planning to get laid?" Minho commented. "I can guarantee that girls will flirt with you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? Oh, uhm, I'm not done yet though." Hyunjin pulled a hand through his hair. "I wanted to ask you guys for advice on what to do with my hair." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh! Seungmin can braid hair!" Jisung brought in. "He has tried braiding ours for fun, but it didn't work. Your hair is long enough, though!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My sister forced me to learn it so I could braid her hair." Seungmin laughed. "Haven't done it on long hair in a while though." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm. Since it's pretty warm today it might be nice to have my hair out of my face." Hyunjin pondered. "And we have enough time, so go for it if you want." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin happily jumped up and motioned Hyunjin to sit on the couch. Felix saw Hyunjin smile widely and he mirrored it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>sometimes Seungmin looks like a little kid. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix happily watched how Seungmin braided Hyunjins hair while Hyunjin shyly smiled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I can wait some more until I get ready. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin messed up one time and had to start over, but Hyunjin looked like he didn't mind one bit. Felix took that opportunity to get changed and style his hair a little. He didn't know much about makeup, only a little about skincare, so he just did a little for his skin and called it done with that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he came back, Hyunjins hair was cutely braided into two braids and he had a big smile on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How do I look?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The roommates all huddled in front of Hyunjin to look. Felix heard a few snorts, his hair didn't really match his fancy outfit, but Felix wasn't really a fashion expert, he thought it was cute. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It looks cute!" Felix said and Jisung agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It looks pretty." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm. Don't know if it that was what you were going for, though." Seungmin looked a little disappointed. "Sorry." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No don't apologize!" Hyunjin hastily said. "I'll judge for myself." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The tall boy grabbed his phone and looked in the front camera to inspect his hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I love it." Hyunjin smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah? You don't think it looks too girly?" Changbin asked in a low voice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I think you weren't really going for that." Seungmin pressed his lips together as he gave Hyunjin a one over again. "You don't have to say you love it if you don't. And I also get it if you don't want to wear it to the party if you do like it, but can I take some pictures of it before you untie your hair? I'm actually pretty proud of the end result." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin chuckled and Felix didn't know if he saw it right, but Hyunjin looked like he was a little overwhelmed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course!" Hyunjin smiled. "And I do love it, really. I think I'll wear it to the party." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmins eyes went wide. "Really? You don't have to." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I want to." Hyunjin seemed sincere. "Oh, and can you take a photo of my whole look too? I wanna post it on my Instagram." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin agreed and took some photos of Hyunjin with Hyunjins phone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow, he looks like a model, it's as if he knew Seungmin is good at taking pictures. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." The tall boy smiled for the thousandth time. "What's your insta? So I can tag you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felix smiled as Seungmin gave Hyunjin his insta and Hyunjin complimented all the pictures Seungmin had posted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They already seem like good friends. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix too felt like Hyunjin was his friend already. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all shared their insta's and commented and liked each others pics. Hyunjins looked like that of a model or something, filled with selfies, while Changbin only had like five posts with about one selfie. After that, they left for the party. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey! So glad you made it!" A girl Felix vaguely recognized ran over and hugged Hyunjin, who seemed startled and slightly uncomfortable with that. "I see you've brought a friend. You're from the hip hop department, right?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I'm Felix." Felix waved. "Nice to meet you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My name's Toni." Toni waved back. "I'm the host, hope you guys have fun. Well, I think that won't be a problem with how you're looking." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toni checked them out and stopped to stare at Hyunjins hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, interesting hairstyle. Did that yourself?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, one of my roommates." Hyunjin smiled and showed it off. "Nice, huh?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, it wasn't a dare? Or a prank?" Toni gave Hyunjin another look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, no…" Hyunjin mumbled and Felix felt bad for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, uhm, I guess everything looks good if you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>face." Toni shrugged. "Anyway, let's go inside." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Toni led them inside, and Felix was glad to recognize some other dancers from his class. He introduced some of his friends to Hyunjin and it mostly went well, except for some a-little-too-forward comments and way too many comments about Hyunjins hair. There were some compliments on the skill, but mostly confused looks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You like it? Really?" One guy laughed. "Man, you look like a girl. Did your girlfriend do this or something?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jeez, you don't have to say it with that tone. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, no." Hyunjin said. "Anyway, I feel like a drink. Do you feel like a drink, Felix?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I don't—" Felix began. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, it's hot in here, huh? Let's go." Hyunjin pulled Felix along to the drinks table. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, I don't drink, Hyunjin." Felix protested. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, me neither." Hyunjin inspected the table. "Do you think they have non-alcoholic drinks?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, o— Oh!" Felix finally got it, Hyunjin just wanted to get away from those rude people. "Over there's some lemonade." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them went to grab a glass of lemonade and hung around the table there. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So will you untie your hair?" Felix asked. "Because of the comments?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No. I really like it, and it's nice to have it out of my face and neck in this heat." Hyunjin answered. "And Seungmin seemed proud of it so I wanted to show it off, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>this way I don't think people will flirt with me as much." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aww, that's sweet, although I don't think Seungmin would mind if you untied it." Felix said. "Why don't you want people to flirt with you?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm…" Hyunjin seemed a bit panicked at the question. "I'm not really looking for a relationship right now. I wanna focus on dancing." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Show people I'm not only made of good looks…" He whispered after. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I get it. Well, from what I've seen you're a really good dancer." Felix tried to lift the others spirits, and he meant what he said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, you're a sweetie." Hyunjin smiled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Hyunjin!" Some girl stumbled over, she seemed drunk. "You look absolutely amazing tonight…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, except for the hair." The girl continued. "It needs something… something more wild and manly. Wanna go fix that together?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She winked and Hyunjin looked towards Felix in panic. Felix looked back with a just as lost look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry for Shenri over here, she's drunk." Another girl came to pull Shenri away. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How hasn't he scored someone yet?" Shenri whined. "Are we too ugly?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I'm not looking to score, though." Hyunjin defended. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"WHAT?" Shenri screamed. "Heck, with your looks you could get laid </span>
  <em>
    <span>twice </span>
  </em>
  <span>tonight! Are you gay or something?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the girl yelled, people looked their way, curious about what was happening. Felix didn't notice Hyunjins eyes widening in panic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shenri. That's enough." Her friend shushed her. "Apologies. Guys, guys, calm down. Shenri's just drunk again, and got rejected." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, if you're not into Shenri…" Another girl appeared. "I'm, like, the exact opposite of her." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, other girls came to appeal to Hyunjin too, almost fighting for his number. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Guys, stop— oh my gosh Shenri don't pull her hair!" The nice girl tried to stop the others. "STOP!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls stopped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ugh, Yeji don't scream in my ear…" Shenri whined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh yeah, Yeji was her name. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix almost hadn't recognized her all dressed up, but to be honest he wasn't paying attention to all the girls flirting with Hyunjin and their friends. Yeji did modern too, but Felix had remembered her from the general classes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's not like you didn't do that either…" Yeji grumbled. "Anyway, Hyunjin said he wasn't interested in scoring tonight, let's leave him alone." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls protested and grumbled, but they eventually left him alone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks, Yeji." Hyunjin let out a relieved breath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No problem. See you around!" Yeji waved and helped Shenri to somewhere else. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felix thought it would be over with that, but no, now it was turn for the guys to approach them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did you just reject </span>
  <em>
    <span>every </span>
  </em>
  <span>girl here?" One asked. "Bro, that's kinda legend, but also kinda stupid."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I wish girls would fight over </span>
  <em>
    <span>me.</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Another commented. "Where's ya girlfriend? Didn't bring her?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? I don't have a girlfriend." Hyunjin answered, confused why they thought he did, well, at least Felix was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You don't? But you're so popular. And why would you reject everyone then?—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yo!" Yeji screamed from a couch, Shenri laying on her lap. "Hyunjin said he wasn't interested in scoring tonight! I think that applies to guys too!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gross Yeji! We're not gay!" They yelled back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then why are you so interested in him?" Yeji didn't make an effort to stand up, she just kept yelling. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"We're not! Jesus!" The guys walked away from them, luckily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, I don't judge man. You…" Yejis voice got softer and muffled by the sounds of the party. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What a lifesaver. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Felix felt relieved for Hyunjin. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After dancing for a while and chatting with Yeji, they left the party. It hadn't been over, but they had thought it had been enough. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I'm never going to a party ever again." Hyunjin laughed, although he was probably half-serious. "Although I enjoyed dancing and talking with Yeji." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, that was fun." Felix agreed. "And you really are a good dancer!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thanks." Hyunjin smiled. "And also thanks for coming with me, I hope it wasn't too bad." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No it wasn't. Uhm, I'm sorry I couldn't help you like Yeji did, though." Felix gave an apologetic smile. "But I really had fun dancing and talking with you and Yeji." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nah, that wasn't your job." Hyunjin waved him off. "You could've hung with your friends more if you wanted, but I'm glad you had fun." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They talked and laughed the rest of the way home, and Hyunjin was surprised that Chan was still awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He always does this." Felix whispered. "Working on songs until late." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, already home?" Chan looked up from his laptop. "How was the party?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Could've been better, could've been worse." Hyunjin answered. "Worse if Felix hadn't been there, but we had fun dancing." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"That's good." Chan smiled. "Well, you can use the bathroom first, wash off the makeup and untie your braids, you must be tired." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nah, I'll sleep with my braids, then I don't have to worry about my hair being in the way." Hyunjin laughed and headed to the bathroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll go to bed soon too, right Channie?" Felix asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I just had some inspiration for a song." Chan said. "I'll go to bed soon." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay, good night." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Good night." </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin was glad to wake up to see Felix and Hyunjin sleeping in their beds. He had been a little worried that Hyunjin might abandon Felix if he changed his mind about not wanting to get laid, but luckily his gut was right and Hyunjin didn't do that. Seungmin also thought he could make out signs of braids in the slender boys hair. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He's still wearing them? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had to admit he had been scrolling through the boys Instagram the whole evening, awestruck by the others beauty, and maybe also because he felt flattered Hyunjin liked the braids so much and had complimented his photos. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you grinning at this Sunday morning?" Jeongin asked when Seungmin entered the living room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? Nothing." Seungmin dodged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Lying doesn't work on me, Seungmin." Jeongin casually leaned against the kitchen counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Whatever." Seungmin sighed. "I just saw that Hyunjin was still wearing the braids." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aha. You're really proud of your work aren't you?" Jeongin grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, I just thought that meant people didn't hate it?" Seungmin said. "I was worried people might give him weird looks." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm. They might have." Jeongin looked up, pondering. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Huh? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin didn't understand, but Jeongin didn't elaborate, and it seemed like he wasn't planning to either. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Time for breakfast then. </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A while later the rest of the roommates one by one stumbled in to eat breakfast or have coffee. Hyunjin was last and he was indeed still wearing the braids. They were all messy now, but Hyunjin still managed to look nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How was the party?" Changbin asked. "I see you're still wearing the braids, Hyunjin." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh yeah…" Hyunjin sleepily patted his hair and a corner of his mouth curled up. "They worked hard." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin snorted, </span>
  <em>
    <span>what does that even mean? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is that a good thing?" He laughed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They got a lot of attention, and they protected me from heat and some flirty people." Hyunjin mumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. Because they hated it? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, but Hyunjin as a whole got a lot of attention." Felix added, and from his face, it looked like it wasn't in a good way. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They disliked the braids didn't they?" Seungmin asked. "If people were being mean because of that you should've just untied them." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn't like Seungmin would be sad if people disliked the braids, he saw it didn't match Hyunjins look that well and he himself was proud of the outcome, but he would feel bad if Hyunjin felt obligated to keep them when people would laugh at him or something. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No!— well, okay not everyone thought they suited me, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>liked them and I do what I want." Hyunjin said. "And a bonus was that people didn't flirt as much as they would have without them." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, okay." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin didn't really get the reasoning, but if Hyunjin had wanted to keep them and was happy that people didn't flirt as much, it was fine. He also didn’t really understand why Hyunjin was being, well, the way he was being, trying to keep him happy, complimenting him, but he didn’t know him that well yet. To be honest, Seungmin thought it was kind of thrilling in some way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The rest of the party was… okay.” Felix continued. “We had fun when people stopped bothering Hyunjin.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be going to many parties.” Hyunjin nodded and turned to Seungmin. “But you can always braid my hair if you want, maybe I’ll even ask for it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin smiled and Seungmins heart sped up a little. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Even when he just woke up he’s pretty</span>
  </em>
  <span>— </span>
  <em>
    <span>wait, what am I thinking? Well, I can just appreciate someone’s appearance can’t I?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m going to take a shower, bye.” Hyunjin announced, pulling Seungmin out of his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin watched as Hyunjin left, feeling a little bewildered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Before I forget, Changbin, Minho, I had an idea for a song.” Chan said after a while. “If you have some time I can show you, maybe you have feedback?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The other two nodded and followed Chan, leaving Seungmin behind with Jeongin, Felix and Jisung.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, seems like Hyunjin already likes you a lot, Minnie.” Jisung said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, I guess.” Seungmin shrugged. What was he supposed to answer otherwise?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he said he wanted to show off the braids because you seemed so proud of it.” Felix excitedly said. “He’s really sweet, I think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Jisung and Jeongin nodded in agreement. </span><em><span>Jeez. </span></em><span>Seungmin turned his head away, feeling a little embarrassed. </span><em><span>Did</span></em> <em><span>he really say that?</span></em> <em><span>How can he already do such things? </span></em><span>Seungmin thought and shook his head.</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s probably like that to everyone.” He said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah, that must be it, he's just a sweet guy in general.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He seems to tease Changbin a lot, though.” Jisung commented, leaning his chin on his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He seems very teasable, though. Just like you.” Jeongin retorted, earning a slap from the smaller boy. “And in private Hyunjin’s probably sweet to him too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could be.” Seungmin said. “We’ll see I guess.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeji cameo!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Fever pt.1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung let out a breath of relief and exhaustion when he finally saw the door of the studio where his friends sat in the distance. As if they felt his presence, the door swung open and Chan appeared to happily wave at him. Jisungs vision got blurry, but he could just make out a worried look on Chans face. He grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes shut at the dizziness he suddenly felt. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Chan yell his name.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Jisung gets sick and Chan takes care of him pt.1</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>A few weeks passed, not much happening except for that the eight roommates slowly got closer. Chan was glad Jisung had been opening up too. It had been surprisingly easy for him, probably because he saw the rest of his friends getting along with them. Chan had also seen Minho help him in the process because for Minho it was easy making friends, <em> at least, if they don't know about the fact that he isn't straight.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan looked out of the window, it was raining, beginning to get colder as fall had arrived. Everyone except for Jisung was already back at the dorm, and Chan hoped Jisung hadn't forgotten his jacket or had brought an umbrella or something. He grabbed his phone to text the boy. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> It's raining pretty hard, want me to pick you up from uni?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Poor Jisung…" Felix sighed. "This morning it didn't look like it was going to rain all day, so he probably didn't bring anything." </p><p> </p><p>"Should one of us maybe pick him up?" Minho suggested. "Don't know when he's ready because he said he would be working a little more after class, but…" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, I already texted him." Chan said. "He hasn't answered yet." </p><p> </p><p>"Let's hope he sees it before going out." Seungmin said as he looked out of the window. "Didn't it also rain during the break, when Jisung was supposed to go to the uni?" </p><p> </p><p>"Talk about bad luck…" Changbin mumbled. "I'm glad it only rained lightly when we went back." </p><p> </p><p>As the minutes passed, Chan got more worried. There were two options, either Jisung didn't see the text and was walking through the pouring rain, or he was working on assignments until late. He didn't like both options. </p><p> </p><p>When the door opened, everyone immediately turned around to see a heavily breathing and soaked Jisung, only wearing a hoodie as protection for his upper body. Jisung gave a wave and a breathy 'hi'. </p><p> </p><p>"Let me get a towel." Hyunjin said and rushed towards the bathroom. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll get you some new clothes." Felix rushed away too. </p><p> </p><p>"Guys—" Jisung breathed, a smile on his face. "You guys are so dramatic." </p><p> </p><p>"Who's the one acting like he just ran a marathon?" Jeongin commented. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, I basically did." Jisung defended. "I ran home, so I'm not as wet as could've been, and besides, I already was wet the whole day." </p><p> </p><p>"Still." Chan said as he took the towel from Hyunjin. "You're only wearing a hoodie, and it's not that warm outside, you could get sick. Didn't you see my text?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung looked confused and grabbed his phone while Chan dried his hair. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, I felt it vibrate while I was running." Jisung said as he unlocked his phone. "But I was, yeah, running in the pouring rain so I didn't check, sorry." </p><p> </p><p>"It's okay." Chan laughed as he saw Jisungs hair sticking out in all directions. "I just hope you won't get sick." </p><p> </p><p>The small boy shivered and they ushered him to the bedroom to put on some warm clothes, snickering at his oblivion towards his hair. </p><p> </p><p>"What's everyone laughing at?" Jisung shot them a suspicious look, eliciting even more giggles from the rest. "I'm cold and wet, I should be treated kindly." </p><p> </p><p>Jisung pouted as if Felix wasn’t helping him with putting on his clothes, or Seungmin wasn’t on his way to turn up the heating, or Hyunjin hadn’t just brought him a towel. Chan laughed and ruffled the youngers hair, giving it a different but equally messy look. </p><p> </p><p>“We were just laughing because you look cute.” He smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“And because you look ridiculous.” Minho added with a grin.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung looked offended as he realized the state of his hair. He quickly tried to flatten it out, but it wasn’t working that well. </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go get a blanket for you.” Chan laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“And I’ll cook something.” Felix announced. “Who wants some too? I’ll be making pasta.”</p><p> </p><p>Of course everyone raised their hand, and luckily Seungmin offered to help. </p><p> </p><p>When Chan came back to wrap a blanket around Jisung, he received a lovely thankful smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks Channie.” The boy said and sniffed. “It was really cold today.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan frowned in worry. “Well, yeah because you were soaked the whole day. Rest well tonight, okay? We don’t want you getting sick.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung nodded and sniffed again. <em> Maybe it’s already too late. </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The next morning Jisung woke up with a horrible headache, <em> stupid alarm </em> . He shivered under his blankets, <em> why is it already so cold this time of the year? </em> He slowly sat up on his bed as he saw some others do the same. When he stood up he almost blacked out. <em> Wow, stood up a little too quickly I guess. </em> He slowly but surely got clothed, contemplating whether to wear something warm or not. <em> I feel both hot and cold at the same time... </em></p><p> </p><p>Breakfast didn’t go great either, he wasn’t that hungry this early in the morning, he never was, but especially not today. He put his half-eaten cereal back in the fridge for later and just stood there for a moment, not wanting to move.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, everything okay?” </p><p> </p><p>Jisung turned around to see Minho looking at him with a worried look.</p><p> </p><p>“Why didn’t you finish your breakfast?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung shrugged. “Not hungry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Going to class today?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, we have working classes today and I can’t miss those.” Jisung answered. “And I just need to wake up some more, it’s getting colder and darker y’know, harder to wake up.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay.” Minho didn’t seem convinced. “Maybe go home after that?”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s one at the end of the day.” Jisung shook his head and flinched a little. “But I’ll survive.”</p><p> </p><p>“If you say so.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>During the break it was too cold to sit outside, so everyone just stayed in their own building. Chan and Changbin would only arrive after the break so Jisung sat alone, but he didn’t mind. His appetite hadn’t returned since this morning and his headache had stayed, so he was actually glad Chan couldn’t fret over him now. Jisung always found it sweet that Chan worried over his friends so much, but now there wasn’t much he could do besides survive this day.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>He couldn’t concentrate in his classes for the life of him, but at least he got some work done. He felt a vibration in his pocket from his phone and he pulled it out to read it. It was from Chan.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> You know that song we asked you to help with? We made some progress and were wondering if you wanted to come after class to hear the first version? </em>
</p><p> </p><p><em> Oof, </em> Jisung thought. On one hand he wanted to go home and just lie in bed all day, but on the other hand he was curious about the song too. <em> It’s just hearing the first version, it won’t take that long, </em>he decided and texted back.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Sure, class ends in 10 min so ill be there in 15 min. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He tried to work for the last part of the class, but his head was protesting too much, so he just left early and took his time walking towards where Chan and Changbin would be. He felt weak from not having eaten anything today and slowly dragged himself to the student studio, leaning against the wall from time to time to prevent himself from blacking out. </p><p> </p><p>Jisung let out a breath of relief and exhaustion when he finally saw the door of the studio where his friends sat in the distance. As if they felt his presence, the door swung open and Chan appeared to happily wave at him. Jisungs vision got blurry, but he could just make out a worried look on Chans face. He grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes shut at the dizziness he suddenly felt. The last thing he heard before blacking out was Chan yell his name.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“He’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” Chan said to Changbin after receiving Jisungs text.</p><p> </p><p>He was excited to show Jisung the song they were working on, he felt like with Changbin he could make even better songs, like they complimented each other well. </p><p> </p><p>“You think Jisung will like the song?” Changbin asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think he will.” Chan couldn’t help but smile out of excitement. “He likes sentimental songs.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin chuckled. “That’s good. Which part were we planning on letting him sing again?”</p><p> </p><p>Chan happily told him about which parts he had in mind for Jisung, he just got excited when a song turned out well and when he got to tell about the variety of skills that Jisung possessed. Before they knew it, fifteen minutes had almost passed.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll go check if I can see Jisung already.” Chan jumped up and almost ran towards the door.</p><p> </p><p>When he opened it, he was happy to see Jisung and waved, but stopped mid-wave when he saw the younger boy stumble towards them, looking extremely pale and holding his head. <em> Shit. </em>Before he could do anything, he saw Jisung collapse onto the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Jisung!” He yelled and ran over.</p><p> </p><p>He took Jisungs limp body in his arms and put a hand on the others forehead. <em> Oh no, he </em> definitely <em> has a fever.  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Oh shit—” Changbin appeared besides him. “He passed out? Why did he come to class?”</p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed. “He probably felt like he could, and he always says he must go to working classes.”</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t it you who’s always working?” Changbin asked and Chan let out a little laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, that’s true. Jisung always tells me I’m worse than him.” </p><p> </p><p>“Even worse?!” The other exclaimed. “Wow, okay, remind me to keep you at home if you ever feel sick.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan snorted. “Uhm, let’s hope I won’t get sick. Now we should get Jisung home.” He looked outside. “It’s not raining luckily, but I’ll give him my jacket as extra just to be sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin stood up to get their jackets and quickly shut off the equipment they were using while Chan held Jisung tightly, stroking his head, afraid he had hurt it when he blacked out.</p><p> </p><p>“Here, let him wear my jacket and you wear yours.” Changbin handed him his jacket and continued before Chan could protest. “You said you hoped you won’t get sick and I have more fat on my body to protect me, I’ll be fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“You sure?” </p><p> </p><p>“Yes! Now let’s get Jisung home.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>They managed to get Jisung in Changbins jacket and Chan carefully lifted the fragile boy up in his arms, Changbin supporting his head. Changbin had offered to carry Jisung too, but Chan wouldn’t let him so Changbin carried their bags. He felt bad for not thinking about the possibility that Jisung might’ve been sick after yesterday, but he had assumed that, since Jisung had gone to class and accepted to listen to the track, he was fine. It was horrible to see Jisungs flushed face, brows slightly furrowed, breathing a little heavily. Chan tried to hold his friend as close to him as he could and turned his back towards the wind to shield him from the cold. </p><p> </p><p>When they were about halfway, Jisungs face scrunched up in a groan and his eyes slowly fluttered open. Chan tried to keep an eye on him while he kept walking at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm..?” Jisung mumbled. “EEK!”</p><p> </p><p>The younger clamped himself onto Chan when he realized he was being carried, and Chan tightened his grip to steady the other. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, I’ve got you.” Chan whispered.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung took a moment to take in where they were and what was happening, arms tight around Chans neck, until he relaxed a little.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry.” He just said.</p><p> </p><p>“No, why are you apologizing?” Chan sought eye contact with Jisung. “Are you okay? <em> I </em>should be apologizing for asking you to come to us without thinking about how you were feeling.”</p><p> </p><p>“If I shouldn’t apologize you shouldn’t either.” Jisung huffed, voice soft. “If you hadn’t asked me to come I would’ve probably collapsed on the way home…”</p><p> </p><p>“That doesn’t make it better!” Chans heart was rapidly beating in worry, thinking about horrible scenarios. “Why did you even go to class?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung flinched a little at Chans tone and he immediately felt even more awful.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry Sungie, I’m just worried, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“I know.” Jisung mumbled. “I’m sorry, I just thought it was the gloomy weather that made me feel not great, I didn’t think it would get worse.”</p><p> </p><p>“Have you eaten?” Changbin asked.</p><p> </p><p>The slender brunette shook his head, looking down in guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t hungry…”</p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed and looked at his friend. He hated to see him sad, sick, or having any other negative emotion. Jisung looked back and they just held their gazes for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for carrying me, Channie.” He said. “I can walk the rest of the way, I think.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan shook his head. “Nope, we’re not doing that, but my arms <em> are </em>starting to hurt a little, even though you’re light as a feather. If you could switch to my back, that would be better.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung nodded and Chan carefully put Jisung down, and with both Chan and Changbins support the younger climbed on his back. He leaned his head on Chans shoulder and softly breathed into his neck, making Chans ears heat up. </p><p> </p><p>“By the way, am I wearing Changbins jacket?” Jisung asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Yup.” Changbin confirmed.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks…”</p><p> </p><p>Jisungs voice still sounded weak, which was to be expected as he hadn’t eaten anything since this morning probably. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you still have your lunch? Do you want to eat that now?” Chan asked.</p><p> </p><p>He felt Jisung shake his head on his shoulder. “Don’t feel like eating that…”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, then we’ll make some soup at home. Changbin, can you text Seungmin if we have any crackers? He should know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure.”</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When they arrived at the dorm building, Chan saw Minho standing outside. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung you idiot! Why is Chan carrying you on his back, is Changbin asking Seungmin if we have crackers, and weren't you home before me?" Minho yelled at them from a distance. "Your classmates said that you left early." </p><p> </p><p>Chan totally understood Minhos worries, he probably already saw that he wasn't feeling well this morning. <em> Minho can be really sweet.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"You went to pick me up?" Jisung asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, because I thought you probably didn't have lunch and I might have to carry you like Chan's now doing." Minho rambled. "But they said you left early so I thought you had been smart, but then you weren't at the dorm and you didn't reply to my text and then Seungmin suddenly got a text, so I was afraid you <em> hadn't </em>been smart. But god bless Chan and Changbin were there." </p><p> </p><p><em> God bless indeed. </em>Chan thought he probably would've reacted the same way. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, sorry…" Jisung mumbled again. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't apologize. Just don't do it again." Minho grumbled. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's get him inside and give him something to eat, and we can tell everyone what happened." Chan offered and the rest agreed. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, Chan handled it well." Changbin said to Minho. </p><p> </p><p>"And Changbin gave him his jacket." Chan added. </p><p> </p><p>"I— I'm not <em> that </em>worried." Minho said. "I'm not usually like this." </p><p> </p><p>"There's no hiding it, Minho!" Jisung said, and it seemed like he had regained a little energy. "Changbin will find out sooner or later." </p><p> </p><p>"What?" Changbin looked confused and it was kind of funny. </p><p> </p><p>"That Minho is secretly very sweet—" </p><p> </p><p>"Shut up, I'm always sweet." Minho defended. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I think I knew that already, though…" Changbin mused and Chan saw Minhos ears turn red. </p><p> </p><p>"Anyway—" Minho stuttered. "Thanks for giving him your jacket, and carrying him home."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>When they entered the dorm they were flooded with concerned questions. Changbin explained the situation while Chan prepared the soup, the crackers already laying ready on the counter. Chan could hear and see everyone asking if they could do anything for him, bring him a blanket, help him to the couch, things like that, and Chan was glad for his friends. </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks." Jisung whispered when Chan gave him the soup. </p><p> </p><p>Chan stayed with him on the couch, steadying the bowl of soup in Jisungs trembling hands so he could handle his spoon with one. One of Chans hands was on Jisungs, but he tried to ignore the feelings and thoughts that it brought. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll stay home with you tomorrow." Chan softly said, and then repeated more loudly: "I'll stay home with Jisung tomorrow, and I will take no objections." </p><p> </p><p>"Good." Minho said, and others nodded and agreed as well. </p><p> </p><p>"Channie…" </p><p> </p><p>"I said no objections." Chan looked sternly at the other. "I can take care of you, and if you want I can even help you with the classes you would have tomorrow. Also, Changbin can fill me in on what I've missed, it'll be fine." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, I'm convinced." Jisung gave a little smile. </p><p> </p><p>"Now go eat your soup and crackers before everyone loses their mind." Chan smiled back. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>After Jisung had finished his meal, they helped him get ready for bed and Chan tucked him in. </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks, mom." Jisung grinned sleepily. "I can't believe I have seven extra moms when I'm sick. Maybe I should be sick more often so I get this treatment…" </p><p> </p><p>"Do you want us to die of worry or something?" Chan laughed. "Please try not to get sick Sungie, I can treat you like this when you’re healthy as well." </p><p> </p><p>Chan patted the youngers head like he was a kid and Jisung giggled cutely. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll hold you to that…" The boys voice got softer from fatigue. </p><p> </p><p>"All right. Good night." </p><p> </p><p>Chan softly stroked his hand over Jisungs head to help him relax. Once he thought the other was asleep he hesitantly leaned down and pressed a little kiss to Jisungs forehead. He told himself it was the mothers instinct that made him do it. Chan stayed for a moment longer, making sure Jisung was really asleep (the fact that he could look at his peaceful face not at all playing a role).</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Fever pt.2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Channie…" Jisung mumbled later, half-asleep on the couch. </p><p>Through his lidded eyes he could just make out Chan turning around. </p><p>"Yes? Do you need anything Sungie?" </p><p>Damn his gentle voice… Jisung closed his eyes. </p><p>"Please stop invading my thoughts…"</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Jisung is thinking....<br/>Hyunjin is also thinking....<br/>Minho is also thinking....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jisung woke up when it was already light outside. His head throbbed, he still felt weak and he was very thirsty, but he felt less tired than yesterday. He slowly rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to wake up. </p><p> </p><p>"Good morning, Sungie." Chan said, standing in the doorway. "How are you feeling?" </p><p> </p><p>"Thirsty…" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh shit, we didn't give you some water next to your bed, sorry I'll get a glass." Chan hurried away before Jisung could say anything. </p><p> </p><p>Jisung took this time to sit upright. It went better than expected, although he still trembled a little. </p><p> </p><p>"Here you go, sorry again." The older boy handed him a glass of water, keeping his hand on the glass to keep it steady like he had done with the soup, as he crouched next to the bed. </p><p> </p><p>"I've got it, thanks." Jisung smiled and squeezed Chans hand on the glass. "And I was too tired to properly drink last night, so it's okay." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay." Chan let go off the glass. "Do you want any breakfast? Do you need to go to the bathroom? And where do you want to lie? Can I—"</p><p> </p><p>"Slow down Channie." Jisung chuckled. "Uhm, some crackers will do for breakfast, I don't need to go to the bathroom, and if I lie on the couch you're closer to me if I need something, so you won't have to check on me every minute." </p><p> </p><p>The corner of Chans mouth twitched up. "I see you have enough energy to be witty." </p><p> </p><p>The boy took the glass that Jisung had gulped down and stood up. "I'll get some crackers and come help you to the living room." </p><p> </p><p><em> I'll get started on that then, </em> Jisung thought and slowly stood up, legs shaking lightly, blanket wrapped around him. He shuffled forwards at a snails pace, but he had all the time in the world. </p><p> </p><p>When Chan came back he had crossed a whopping ten centimeters. The other smiled fondly at Jisung before swooping him up bridal style. Jisung made a little sound in surprise before holding onto Chan with one arm, the other gripping his blanket. Jisung didn't know if it was the fever or not, but he felt warm. </p><p> </p><p>"There, way faster, although I admire your efforts." Chan said as he placed him on the couch. "Here are your crackers. Need anything else?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung shook his head. "Not at this moment." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, just call me when you need something." Chan smiled and patted Jisungs head before heading to the desk. </p><p> </p><p>Jisung watched Chans back as he sat down, <em> he really has broad shoulders doesn't he? </em>Chans pats on his head reminded him of what happened last night, he didn't know if he had dreamed it or not, but he remembered Chan giving him a kiss on his forehead. Thinking about it made Jisung feel warm, or it was the fever. </p><p> </p><p>He slowly ate his crackers, staring into empty space. In his feverish state he couldn't control his thoughts well, and they constantly seemed to wander to the same subject, Chan. He thought about Chan carrying him, stroking his hands through his hair, hugging him, placing his hand on his, giving him kisses… His cheeks burned even more, <em> Jisung what are you thinking? That was just a dream right? You just like attention, and platonic kisses.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan turned around, startling Jisung, and he came over to crouch beside the couch with a concerned look on his face. </p><p> </p><p>"You look like you're burning." He placed his hand on Jisungs forehead, and then on his cheeks, making Jisungs heart rate pick up. "Did the fever get worse?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung shook his head. "I don't think so. My headache got better since I woke up…" </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, good. It's mostly your cheeks that are hot, so if you want me to turn the heater down or something, just tell me, but it's good if you're sweating your illness away." </p><p> </p><p>Jisung barely heard Chans words, distracted by the hand that moved over his face and shoulder. <em> Maybe the fever did get worse. </em>He just hummed and nodded, hoping that would satisfy the other. Indeed it did, as Chan stood up again and returned to the desk to resume his work. </p><p> </p><p>Time seemed to pass both slowly and rapidly as Jisungs thoughts covered all subjects possible and he forgot what it was two seconds later. The only thing he remembered thinking about was, again, Chan. Chan had made some rice for him for lunch because Jisung was actually feeling quite hungry and Chan had eaten his lunch next to him. Jisung had taken a long time to finish his rice, partially distracted by Chan. Chan also got him water whenever he asked, and he helped him to the bathroom. He had carried him the first time, but Jisungs feverish head couldn't handle the heat it brought, so, with the excuse that he wanted to bring some strength back in his legs, he had asked Chan to just support him the other times. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>"Channie…" Jisung mumbled later, half-asleep on the couch. </p><p> </p><p>Through his lidded eyes he could just make out Chan turning around. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes? Do you need anything Sungie?" </p><p> </p><p><em>Damn his gentle voice… </em>Jisung closed his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"Please stop invading my thoughts…" </p><p> </p><p>He wasn't thinking anymore as he said that, and he didn't see or hear Chans reaction as he fell asleep. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The sun shone today and it wasn’t that cold, so they got to sit together outside during the break. Hyunjin was happy to sit with everyone, but he was also sad for Chan and Jisung who missed the opportunity. It wasn’t like they didn’t see each other every day, but Hyunjin saw them as his friends, and don’t you want to see your friends every moment you can?</p><p> </p><p>As Felix and Hyunjin sat down at their usual table, they saw Jeongin and Seungmin approach. Seungmin was skipping like a little kid and Hyunjin involuntarily smiled. Remember when Hyunjin said Seungmin had caught his attention? It had only gotten stronger as he had gotten to know the boy better. That applied to everyone of his roommates, it felt like fate that he and Changbin had ended up in that room. It was true that Changbins parents gave him a bit of a hard time because they didn’t approve of hip hop dancers, but Hyunjin thought this was the push Changbin and his parents needed to understand each other and reach some compromise. Changbin had told his parents that he probably wouldn’t have to dance that much, and no hip hop because Minho could choreograph other things as well and that made his parents back off, but Hyunjin feared that it was inevitable for Changbin to dance hip hop as he and Chan were good at writing rap songs. </p><p> </p><p>He focused his attention back to the two brightly smiling boys in front of him. <em> Wow, there are three suns out today. </em>Hyunjin loved how Seungmin and Jeongin smiled so often, he could look at them smiling all day, at how they cutely teased each other, at how Seungmin could act like a little child and an adult at the same time, at how he could get mad easily but also got over it easily, at how— </p><p> </p><p>“Hyunjin, is there something on my face?” Seungmins voice pulled him out of his thoughts. </p><p> </p><p><em> Damn, I do this a lot don’t I? </em> Hyunjin felt his cheeks burn, sometimes he just stared at Seungmin, getting lost in his eyes or something, but luckily he wasn’t caught many times. <em> Or people didn’t say it…  </em></p><p> </p><p>“It looked more like he was adm— <em> oof </em>.” Minho began, but got cut off by Changbin probably kicking his legs. “Hey what was that for?”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Since when did they arrive? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, I was just spacing out.” Hyunjin chuckled awkwardly when Changbin didn’t answer, it wasn’t exactly a lie.</p><p> </p><p>“What were you thinking about?” Jeongin asked. “You looked so happy.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uhm… I was thinking about how you two were smiling so much because of the weather.” Hyunjin told the truth because he was bad at lying. “It was cute.”</p><p> </p><p>That last part wasn’t meant to be said, but Hyunjins brain to mouth filter wasn’t optimal.</p><p> </p><p>“So you only looked at Seu— Ouch! Changbin stop kicking me!” Minho shot an angry look at the small boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, my legs are just twitching because my lunch is so good.” Changbin lied. “Ouch! Why are you kicking me now?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, my lunch is just <em> too </em>tasty.” Minho grinned with a mouth full of food.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin rolled his eyes at the playfully bickering duo and continued his lunch, glancing at Seungmin a few times. The boy was laughing at Minho and Changbin and then smiled at his food. Hyunjin thought he might get a heart attack.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Hey, Hyunjin.” </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh no, not another girl wanting to ask me out… </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hi, I’m Byuka, from Felixs class, can I ask you something?” </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin tried to suppress a sigh and smile politely at the girl. Most girls were decent and Hyunjin felt bad for having to reject them all, he hoped some wanted to be his friend like Yeji. Some had tried, but they got tired of people asking them to ask Hyunjin things about his love life, or if they were dating Hyunjin. Yeji had scared away most people from the modern dance classes, but now the hip hop dancers tried. Felix had told him many people tried going via him too.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, sure.” He just answered. Short answers are best is what Minho taught him from when people flirted with him before they knew he wasn’t straight.</p><p> </p><p>“Felix said you maybe weren’t looking to date, is that still true?” Byuka asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, yes that is true.” He slowly answered. It was a lie, he’d love to date Seungmin, but this lie was necessary.</p><p> </p><p>“Why? Wait— is that Yeji girl your girlfriend?” The girl looked like everything made sense now.</p><p> </p><p>“No, she’s a friend.” </p><p> </p><p>“Really? Oh wow, but you two seem so close…” Byuka trailed off. “Why then? Wait—”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What’s it going to be now? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Are the <em> other </em> rumors true then?” She slapped a hand in front of her mouth. <em> What rumors? </em>“Are you gay—”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe his reasons for not wanting to date are none of your business.” Changbin cut her off. “All that matters is that he doesn’t want to date anyone, so you can leave and tell your friends they won’t have to try either. Besides, he never said he only doesn’t want to date girls, so I don’t get where you get the rumors from.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, maybe he’s ashamed of the fact that he’s gay, or wait— did <em> he </em>infect—” Byuka pointed at Minho.</p><p> </p><p>“You can leave!” Changbin yelled, and Hyunjin saw Minho jump at the loud sound.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, okay…” Byuka held her hands up as if she had done nothing wrong and walked away. </p><p> </p><p>“Some people…” Changbin sighed. “This is exactly what I mean with that I only care if people are kind or not.”</p><p> </p><p>“There are rumors that I’m gay? Or that I’m dating Yeji?” </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin should’ve seen it coming from the fact that he was bad at lying or hiding his feelings. He was surprised his roommates hadn’t asked about it yet, but then again, they knew what was and what wasn’t their business.</p><p> </p><p>“I think people are just trying to think of excuses for why you don’t want to date them.” Seungmin said. “So they don’t feel bad for themselves. ‘<em> Oh no, why did Hyunjin reject </em> me <em> ? He must already have a girlfriend, or be gay.’ </em>”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin laughed at Seungmins mocking voice and immediately felt better. He just hoped the rumors about him being gay wouldn’t take off.</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe—” Minho hesitantly began. “Maybe you should tell people a reason why you don’t want to date them, even if it’s a lie. It wouldn’t be good if everyone ends up choosing the ‘gay’ option as an explanation if they hear you aren’t dating Yeji, especially if you aren’t gay.”</p><p> </p><p>“But… I’m bad at lying…” Hyunjin looked down. “And I don’t like lying.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho and Changbin sighed at the same time.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re too kind—”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re too nice—”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin snorted and he saw the others laugh at Minho and Changbin being in sync as well. The two looked at each other in disbelief before Changbin turned to Hyunjin again.</p><p> </p><p>“Can’t you say your parents are strict in who you date?” He offered. “That they already have someone for you in mind? I mean, just imagine how my parents would react if they heard you were dating a hip hop dancer.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm…” Hyunjin thought about it for a moment. “I guess I can say my family is strict. Your family is kind of like my family, so it’s not completely lied.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yeah, this would be better than letting people spread the rumor that I’m gay. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Felix, can you tell Byuka this too?” Hyunjin added. “And tell her I’m sorry that Changbin yelled at her.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was necessary.” Changbin grumbled. </p><p> </p><p>Felix nodded and they continued their lunch. Hyunjin instinctively looked at Seungmin again, and to Hyunjins surprise he was already looking back. Seungmin smiled and Hyunjins heart skipped a beat. </p><p> </p><p>“Is there anything?” The sweet boy asked.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin wanted to tell them. He didn’t want to keep any secrets from them anymore. Yes, he only knew them for a little more than a month, but he had seen them every day, and he knew they would be okay with it because they acted normal towards Minho too.</p><p> </p><p>“I think I can tell you guys the reason why I tell people I’m not interested in dating anyone.” He said.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?” Changbin gave him a look that asked if he was sure.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ll tell Channie and Sungie too?” Felix asked.</p><p> </p><p>“If you plan on doing that, I suggest waiting until we’re at home.” Minho suggested. “It seems like a big deal, and since the break is almost over you can then take your time, if you still want to tell us then.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good idea.” Hyunjin nodded.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“So…” Minho began, not yet knowing what he wanted to say.</p><p> </p><p>He was walking back home with Changbin because they got time to work on their group project, but Chan wasn’t there so they decided to go home and maybe do some work there. </p><p> </p><p>“So?” Changbin turned to him with a questioning look.</p><p> </p><p>Minho wanted to ask a thousand things, if Changbin knew what Hyunjins reason was, <em> he probably does </em> , why he had kicked him during lunch, if he was worried for Hyunjin, <em> he probably is, maybe that has something to do with why he kicked me </em>, or if he trusted them to react well when Hyunjin would tell them. He decided to ask a whole other question.</p><p> </p><p>“Your parents really hate hip hop dancers, don’t they?” He asked. “If they would even react badly to someone elses son dating a hip hop dancer. They’re not still giving you a hard time because of me and Felix, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“My parents have some pretty strict guidelines for how to live yeah, who is good and who is bad based on what ‘life choices’ they have made.” Changbin explained. “But I told them I probably won’t dance hip hop and they were satisfied with that. I said ‘probably’ so you’re still allowed to do whatever you want.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> We’re making quite a few hip hop songs, are his parents aware of that? Probably not. Will they come to the showcase at the end of the course?  </em>
</p><p>Changbin gave him a cheeky smile, and it was kind of cute.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I’m still allowed to do whatever I want, but I’d be in big trouble if I’d want to date you.” Minho joked and Changbins eyes went big while his cheeks flushed red. “I’m kidding— well, it’s true what I said, but I’m sorry if that made you uncomfortable.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it didn’t— I just didn’t expect it.” Changbin stuttered. “But hypothetically, if you wanted that, and I wanted that, uhm, I’d say fuck what my parents think, I’ll date whoever I want.”</p><p> </p><p>Now it was Minhos turn to widen his eyes and feel his ears and cheeks burn. If he was honest, Changbin was cute, sweet, considerate, funny, handsome and feisty besides being an absolute baby, so yeah, date material, but that was not something Minho should be thinking about. <em> He said hypothetically, he probably doesn’t like guys. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Wow, rebel.” Minho chuckled once he had calmed down. “Good.”</p><p> </p><p>Although he said that, he was still a little worried about choreographing a hip hop dance for their project, but he didn’t have much choice. His teachers would want to see at least <em> some </em>hip hop of course, and Changbin told him to do whatever he wanted. He looked at the smaller boy and saw him slightly frowning.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you worried for Hyunjin?” He asked, although he already knew the answer.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…” Changbin sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you don’t have to worry about our reactions at least, I think. We’re all really open-minded people.” Minho tried to assure.</p><p> </p><p>Minho had his theories about Hyunjin, and if they were right, Minhos words would be the truth. Minho suspected Hyunjin to like boys, he recognized some things from himself in Hyunjin that pointed towards someone who was well aware of that they liked boys but was trying to hide it. Only Hyunjin wasn’t at good at hiding with how he looked at Seungmin. It could also just be how Hyunjin was, but Minho didn’t give that much chance if he was honest, especially with how Changbin reacted when Byuka asked if Hyunjin was gay.</p><p> </p><p>“I know, it may be good for him to tell you guys, but…” Changbin trailed off.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re worried about the rumors?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I hate to say it, but there’s not much you can do about that, I can tell you that.” Minho looked away, afraid Changbin would see the stories behind his words. “Let’s hope the excuse will stop the rumors. Luckily they’re only rumors.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho felt Changbins eyes burn on him. He probably wanted to ask about Minho’s experiences, but Minho was glad he didn’t. <em> Maybe I’ll tell you someday, but not today. </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When they returned to the dorm Chan shushed them, pointing towards a sleeping Jisung.</p><p> </p><p>“How’s it going with our lil champ over here?” Minho asked softly, walking over to Chan.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, he ate crackers and rice, and drank a lot, so luckily his appetite is back.” Chan looked towards the sleeping boy and his expression turned worried. “But his fever seems worse? At least, he seemed to be burning up and he was saying nonsense…”</p><p> </p><p>“Let me feel, I always have warm hands.” Changbin whispered and went over to Jisung to feel his forehead. “It feels better than yesterday, though?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh okay, maybe I just had cold hands or something…” Chan mumbled and whispered after: “But the things he said…”</p><p> </p><p>“What kind of nonsense did he say?” Minho asked and Chan jumped a little. “Was it gibberish?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, he just said— asked, uhm…” Chan looked down and switched his tone to a whisper again. “He asked me to stop invading his thoughts…”</p><p> </p><p><em> Really? Oh? </em>Minho looked back to see if Changbin heard, but he seemed to have left for the bathroom.</p><p> </p><p>“Did he say what he meant? Or was that all?” Minho asked further, he had to know.</p><p> </p><p>“After he said that he fell asleep, and he has been until you came.” Chan explained. “Maybe he fell asleep before and had a nightmare about me or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Or he’s <em> really </em>thankful for all your help and he can’t stop thinking about it.” Minho teased, he suspected that Chan might have a crush on the younger and he also liked embarrassing his friends.</p><p> </p><p>“Pfft— why then would he ask me to<em> stop </em> invading his thoughts?” Chan stuttered, ears red.</p><p> </p><p><em> Maybe because he isn’t ready to accept that he likes you too? </em> Minho didn’t think that would be <em> that </em> far-fetched, but he didn’t know. <em> Maybe I’ll ask them if they have a crush on each other later, maybe they’ll tell me. </em></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When Changbin came back from the bathroom, the three softly discussed their project until Jisung woke up. Chan immediately stood up and went to check on him.</p><p> </p><p>“How are you feeling?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, still waking up… but I feel pretty fine.” Jisung mumbled. “Hey Minho, hey Changbin.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey there.” Minho said, and Changbin waved. “Had a nice dream about Channie?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisungs round eyes went wide in disbelief. "How did you know?" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh god did you have another nightmare about me?" Chan asked in a slightly panicked voice. </p><p> </p><p>"Another?" Changbin and Jisung both asked. </p><p> </p><p>"I asked if he had a <em> nice </em>dream, not a nightmare." Minho tried to save Chan. "What did you dream about?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I don't really remember…" Jisung looked like he did his best to remember. "I only remember Chan and that it was a nice dream, or was that real…?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung looked up with a troubled look, scrunching his face up while thinking hard, murmuring 'was it real??'. Minho snickered and looked at Chan to see his ears burning bright red. </p><p> </p><p>"Anyway, why did you say Chan should stop invading your head?" Minho decided to ask after all, he was too curious. </p><p> </p><p>Chan almost choked, but Jisung didn't notice. The small boy just slowly turned his head, confusion apparent on his face. </p><p> </p><p>"I said that?" He asked. "Uhm…" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung looked away, cheeks getting redder than they already were. </p><p> </p><p>"It probably just was the fever." Chan quickly said. "It probably meant nothing." </p><p> </p><p>Jisung didn't say anything, he just looked like he was thinking hard, but couldn't figure something out. </p><p> </p><p>"Or it means I should back off…" Chan added in a whisper. </p><p> </p><p>"Chan—" Minho began. </p><p> </p><p>"Anyway, it seems your fever is better after you've slept?" Chan continued with normal volume. </p><p> </p><p>The sick boy looked like he was pulled out of his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yeah, I think so." Jisung slowly said. "I feel less out of this world yeah, less like I'm constantly dreaming or something." </p><p> </p><p>At that moment the door opened and the remaining second year roommates walked in. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, how's Sungie doing?" Felix asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Just woke up, but I'm relatively fine." Jisung answered. </p><p> </p><p>"That's good." Seungmin said. </p><p> </p><p>"Did Chan take good care of you or did he totally abandon you?" Jeongin joked.</p><p> </p><p>Normally Minho would laugh, but he felt like Chan felt like he did something wrong or something. </p><p> </p><p>"From the things that I know that weren't a dream, he took good care of me yes." Jisung smiled and Minho hoped it would ease Chan. "Wait— you really made rice for me, right?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah we ate rice together." Chan confirmed. </p><p> </p><p>The ones that just got home nodded and gave Jisung some pats. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, Jisung?" Hyunjin began.</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm? Yeah what's up?" Jisung turned his head to the tall boy. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you feeling well enough to, uhm, listen for a long time?" </p><p> </p><p>Minho saw Chan getting worried and Jisung looking confused. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I think so? Maybe not right now, but maybe after dinner. I'll have to see if I don't end up in a half-asleep state again." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded. "Okay, I'll ask again after dinner." </p><p> </p><p>"Is everything okay?" Chan asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I'll explain after dinner. I want to tell everyone."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kind of cliffhanger because the chapter was getting long skgjnfj</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Uncle Minhos counceling sessions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"This break another girl came to ask me out, and we found out there were rumors that either I am dating Yeji, or I am, uhm, gay because I don't want to say why I'm not interested in dating." Hyunjin continued. "And Minho told me that maybe I should give an excuse to people so the rumors won't get out of hand, and we eventually did, but I want to tell you guys the truth." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins heart was pounding hard in his chest, he felt nervous for Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, you want to?" Chan asked. "You don't have to." </p><p> </p><p>"I know, but I want to." Hyunjin looked at his roommates one by one before pointing his gaze at his hands. "The reason why I tell people that I don't want to date people is, uhm…" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin unconsciously held his breath in anticipation. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm gay." </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>now Seungmin is thinking....<br/>Also, uncle Minho goes to talk to people</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As they ate dinner, Seungmin couldn't help but look at Hyunjin a few times. He was curious about his reason for not wanting to date people. Had he had bad experiences with dating? Did he have some kind of belief? Was he secretly dating someone? </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin didn't want to speculate too much, so he looked at Hyunjin to try and see what his emotions were. Sometimes Seungmin was caught looking, but it looked like Hyunjin didn't mind. He looked a little nervous, but when he saw Seungmin look he smiled. <em> I hope that means he's not scared of my reaction. </em>They held their gaze for a moment until Hyunjin turned to the boy half sitting half lying on the couch. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung, do you think you'll be able hear me out?" He asked. "After you're done eating of course." </p><p> </p><p>"Yes I think I can handle that." Jisung said, cheeks full of rice. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin was glad Jisung was eating well and felt well enough to hold his attention for Hyunjins story. </p><p> </p><p>"You can also start already, unless I have to talk as well." Jisung added. </p><p> </p><p>Everyone looked at Hyunjin to see what he thought. </p><p> </p><p>"Sure, let's do that." </p><p> </p><p>They brought their plates to the kitchen and all gathered around and on the couch and focused on Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"So uhm, for Chan and Jisung who weren't there during the break, you know how a lot of people are asking me out?" Hyunjin slowly began. "And that I always reject them?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan and Jisung nodded. </p><p> </p><p>"This break another girl came to ask me out, and we found out there were rumors that either I am dating Yeji, or I am, uhm, gay because I don't want to say why I'm not interested in dating." Hyunjin continued. "And Minho told me that maybe I should give an excuse to people so the rumors won't get out of hand, and we eventually did, but I want to tell you guys the truth." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins heart was pounding hard in his chest, he felt nervous for Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, you want to?" Chan asked. "You don't have to." </p><p> </p><p>"I know, but I want to." Hyunjin looked at his roommates one by one before pointing his gaze at his hands. "The reason why I tell people that I don't want to date people is, uhm…" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin unconsciously held his breath in anticipation. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm gay." </p><p> </p><p><em> Ah. </em>The room was completely silent. Hyunjin slowly looked up to gauge the reactions, but everyone except for Minho and Changbin just seemed like they were still processing. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad you felt like you could tell us." Minho smiled. "This doesn't change much of course, except for that we now understand you better, at least, that goes for me." </p><p> </p><p>The others seemed to quickly agree with Minho, but Seungmin took a little more time before he could say 'me too'. It wasn't like he was against gay people or something, not at all, he was just distracted by a thought that had popped up in his head. <em> Does Hyunjin have a crush on me?  </em></p><p> </p><p>He felt bad for having such a selfish thought now, but the way Hyunjin sometimes looked at him, or gave him compliments had made him suspect it. And to be honest, he didn't know what to think of it. He always felt flattered when Hyunjin was extra sweet to him, but would that change now he knew this information? He honestly didn't know, he needed some time to process, he thought. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'm glad Changbin has been helping you before." Minho said. "It's hard to have to keep it all to yourself. I hope I can help too." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I think I missed something.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The rest nodded and agreed again. </p><p> </p><p>"Seungmin?" Hyunjin turned to him with a nervous expression and Seungmin held his breath. "You've been pretty quiet. Are you— uhm, is there something wrong?" </p><p> </p><p>"No! I was just, uhm, thinking about how hard it must be to have to reject all those people constantly." Seungmin lied, although it probably was hard for Hyunjin to have to do that. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, yeah it is." Hyunjin awkwardly chuckled. "But, uhm, it's also okay if knowing this changes things for you. You don't have to agree with everyone. This goes for everyone by the way." </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I don't know— I don't think so." Seungmin said and his voice was less steady than he had hoped. "I'll tell you if it does." </p><p> </p><p>"Please do, I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable." Hyunjin said. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin sighed, he felt bad for not being able to convincingly say that it doesn't change anything. He didn't want Hyunjin to be careful around him, but he also didn't know what he would feel if Hyunjin continued to act like he did around him. </p><p> </p><p>"I don't think you will." Changbin said. "At least, he has never ever made me uncomfortable and I’ve known him for quite a while." </p><p> </p><p>"And it's not like you are suddenly going to act differently, right?" Jeongin asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, no, but, uhm, maybe some actions will make people uncomfortable now that they know this…" Hyunjin mumbled. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin tried not to flinch, it felt like he was addressing Seungmin directly. </p><p> </p><p>"But you still have the same intentions with those actions, right? So it shouldn't make any difference, right?" Felix asked. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin was silent for a moment and Seungmin got scared that that was confirmation towards his possible crush on him. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, sometimes we can't logically explain how we feel, sometimes ideas are pushed into our heads and then we feel illogical emotions." Minho saved them. "So it can happen that, even though technically nothing has changed, feelings may change if you know more about the context. So for both me and Hyunjin applies that you can say it when you feel uncomfortable, that can probably even help you get over it." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah." Hyunjin agreed and looked at them one by one, but Seungmin felt like his gaze lingered on him just a second longer. </p><p> </p><p><em> Am I thinking too much of this or is he really worried about me being uncomfortable? Does that mean he </em> was <em> flirting with me already? </em>The thoughts made Seungmins head spin, and he half missed everyone standing up and going back to doing their own things. He totally missed Hyunjin giving him a worried look before leaving to do something else. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey Seungmin." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Minho. </p><p> </p><p>"It looks like you may want to talk to someone." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, uhm…" Seungmin looked around, only Jisung was in their vicinity, lying on the couch and staring into empty space. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's go to the bedroom, shall we?" Minho didn't wait for an answer and began walking. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin took a second before he followed. In the bedroom they sat down on Minhos bed. </p><p> </p><p>"Tell me, what's bothering you about Hyunjin being gay?" Minho asked. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin sighed, <em> I can just tell him, right? Minho won't judge, hell, he's even the best one to talk to probably.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, it's not like there's something bothering me, I think?" He just spoke his thoughts. "I don't know, uhm…" </p><p> </p><p>Minho was silent, giving Seungmin time to gather his thoughts. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you think Hyunjin likes me?" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin looked at Minho, but he couldn't read his expression, that was usually kind of hard with the dancer. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, I thought you might have thought that." Minho nodded. "That could very well be, but I don't know for sure of course. What if he does?" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin looked down, biting his lip. "That's the thing. I don't know what I'd think about it. I don't know if it would make me uncomfortable or not." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, well, Hyunjin has been doing some things you could interpret as flirting, or at least as showing interest, what did or do you think about that?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm… Before I knew it could be flirting I liked it, I mean, I was flattered— I mean, who doesn't like receiving compliments? But now I don't know, uhm, I mean, I don't like him back right?" Seungmin looked at Minho as if he was supposed to know all the answers. </p><p> </p><p>"Are you asking me if I know that you don't like him in that way, or are you asking me if you <em> do </em>like him?" Minho laughed. </p><p> </p><p>To be honest, Seungmin didn't know, he was very confused. </p><p> </p><p>"How do I know if I, uhm, if I do like him?" He asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Wow, now you're asking me something." Minho grinned. "Sorry, can't help you with that. Liking boys is just like liking anyone else, although, I guess it's harder to accept if you're a boy yourself, but I guess you'll know when you do?"</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin sighed, he understood Minho couldn't answer his questions, but he had secretly hoped he would say something eye opening or something. </p><p> </p><p>"And if after a while you're still lost, maybe you can try asking Hyunjin for help." The dancer suggested. "I mean, isn't the best way to find out what you think about something is to do that something?" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins mouth fell open and he felt heat creep up his neck. "Are— are you saying I should ask him to flirt with me?" </p><p> </p><p>Minho shrugged. "If you're still stuck after a while, maybe you can tell him, maybe you can, like, go on a date to see what you think? But then again, we don't even know for sure if he likes you, although it seems likely." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, you're right." Seungmin nodded, his head felt warm. "Uhm, we'll see indeed, thank you for your help Minho." </p><p> </p><p>"No problem." Minho patted his shoulder. "Good luck." </p><p> </p><p>The older stood up and walked back to the living room, mumbling 'onto the next one'.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Chan was staring at his notebook, he had tried starting on the lyrics for the love song, maybe inspired by the boy lying on the couch behind him, but when Jisung had told him to stop invading his thoughts he had been washed over by guilt. <em> Jisung would probably hate it if I wrote a love song about him, </em> he thought, <em> have I been taking advantage of him being sick? Have I been too clingy?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan sighed. <em> Maybe I should leave the love song to Changbin— </em></p><p> </p><p>"Hey, are you going to tuck Sungie in tonight too?" Minho interrupted his thoughts. </p><p> </p><p>"Wh— gosh you startled me Minho." Chan breathed. "Why are you suddenly asking that?" </p><p> </p><p>"You seem to be overthinking things and I thought you might want to talk to uncle Minho." Minho grabbed a chair and sat next to him. "Is what Jisung said bothering you?" </p><p> </p><p>"Maybe— but tomorrow is the weekend so I won't have to invade his thoughts or personal space." Chan looked down, Minho probably looked right through him. </p><p> </p><p>"But you said it probably meant nothing right?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but he didn’t confirm that…" Chan mumbled. "But it doesn't matter, I'll just back off to be safe." </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm." Minho hummed ambiguously. "I think he's still grateful for your help today." </p><p> </p><p>Chan shrugged, he hoped so too. It was silent for a moment before he heard a soft voice. </p><p> </p><p>"Channie?" </p><p> </p><p>As if Jisung had felt Chan needed to hear something from him he called Chans name. Chan turned around to face the sick boy.</p><p> </p><p>"Are you busy? Or can you come here for a second?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisungs eyes were big and round and Chan just couldn't refuse. He looked at Minho to see if it was okay, and Minhos look said 'what are you waiting for?'. </p><p> </p><p>"No, I have time." Chan said and headed over to crouch besides the couch. "What's up?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan kept some room between them, both for Jisung and for himself. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, thanks for helping me today." Jisungs smile looked slightly hesitant to Chan, but also sincere. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh no problem, I hope I didn't— like, I wasn't too clingy or something, too, like, worried— overprotective?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan mentally kicked himself for not being able to form coherent sentences. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, oh, uhm, no you weren't." Jisung said, but Chan didn't completely believe him. "I was just like hallucinating or something, saying nonsense. You took good care of me." </p><p> </p><p>Chan tried his best to give a smile, he was glad Jisung tried to reassure him. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay I'm glad, but you know you can be honest right?" </p><p> </p><p>"I know, but I really am thankful, although I <em> was </em>a bit overwhelmed in my feverish state." Jisung shortly looked down before spreading his arms wide. "Hug?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan froze for a second, not having expected it, but gladly accepted the hug. Jisung didn't have much fat on his bones to hug, but that meant Chan could fully envelop him, which felt nice. </p><p> </p><p>He would like to hug Jisung for hours, but the whole point was to give the other more space, although he did ask Chan for a hug, <em> but he also said he was overwhelmed.  </em></p><p><br/>
Chan gave Jisung a good squeeze before letting go. <em> Let's hope it indeed was because of the fever that he was overwhelmed, </em> he thought, because he really didn't want to keep his distance. He wanted to hug and cuddle him, and make him smile or laugh, and joke around with him, <em> maybe even kiss— okay let's stop there, Chan. </em>He wasn't ready for those thoughts yet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Find out what I feel about you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"It's like we're watching a drama isn't it?" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh Jesus—" Seungmin jumped at Jeongins sudden voice. </p><p> </p><p>Oh yeah, we were doing homework together. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, did you just forget I existed?" Jeongin asked in an offended manner. "I'm sitting next to you!"</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, you're just so ugly I always block you out." Seungmin joked. </p><p> </p><p>"I think it's more that Hyunjin is so beautiful you can only look at him."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Seungmin goes and talk to Hyunjin....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next few weeks Hyunjin still got a lot of attention at the university, but now because everyone was shocked about his excuse for why he didn’t date. They asked him all kinds of questions about what it was like to be rich, and some tried to convince him his family would like them, but Yeji, who always was quick to help him, jumped in and asked them if they were rich. If the girl would say no, Yeji told them his family only wanted him to date rich and powerful people. If people asked him why he didn’t just say it from the beginning, he didn’t have lie, he just said that he didn’t want people to know of his rich family, that he just wanted to be a normal student. </p><p> </p><p>No, he definitely didn’t get any less attention, but at least there were less people asking him out, and the rumors of him being gay had become less too. According to Yeji there were still a few of them floating around, just like the rumors about them dating, because people said this excuse didn’t negate the rumors, but she said that couldn’t be helped. </p><p> </p><p>“So…” Yeji began while they sat on the floor of the dance studio room, taking a little break. “Don’t you hate it that your family is so strict about you dating? Don’t you <em> want </em>to date?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm?” Hyunjin tried to act innocent. “Oh well, I mean, you aren’t really dating too right? Or are you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe I am.” Yeji crossed her arms. </p><p> </p><p><em> What kind of answer is </em> that <em> ?  </em></p><p> </p><p>“But you dodged my question, Hwang Hyunjin.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well<em> — </em> because I thought you didn’t want to date either, so I thought you would, like, understand me.” </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin hoped Yeji wouldn’t notice how he stumbled over his words more than usual. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'll tell you a little secret." Yeji leaned closer and turned to whispering. "I'm bi."</p><p> </p><p>"What?" Hyunjin didn't expect her to say that so casually. </p><p> </p><p>"As in, I like—" </p><p> </p><p>"No, I know what it means, sorry." Hyunjin cut her off, afraid people might hear her. "I just didn't expect you to tell me that easily."</p><p> </p><p>"Ah, it's fine." Yeji waved her hand. "You're my friend." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin smiled. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, then I guess it's safe to tell you about me as well." He whispered. "I'm gay." </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, I had my suspicions, but you never know, right?" Yeji clapped on his shoulder. "I guess we do understand each other." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded, he was happy to have Yeji in all his classes. She was a good friend. </p><p> </p><p>"So is your family really that strict?" Yeji asked. "If I may ask." </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, no, only the family of my close friend, Changbin." Hyunjin said. "Although I don't know what my parents would think about me being gay." </p><p> </p><p>His friend nodded, looking like she was in thought. "Luckily my parents are pretty chill." </p><p> </p><p>"That's good." Hyunjin said and jumped up. "Let's continue." </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Back at the dorm Changbin plopped next to Hyunjin on the couch with a sigh. </p><p> </p><p>"Hyunjin help us." He whined. </p><p> </p><p>"With what? Who do I help?" Hyunjin asked. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin turned towards him and lowered his voice. </p><p> </p><p>"We need to write a love song, and, like, you have experience right?" </p><p> </p><p>"What? I thought you said Chan was going to do it?" Hyunjin whispered back. "And besides, I don't have <em> much </em>experience, and only unrequited." </p><p> </p><p>Things with Seungmin had been a little different lately, but luckily not as much as he had feared. Seungmin was a little more hesitant around him at first, and it took him more time than usual to warm up to him, but then he did joke around with him as before. Seungmin also looked at him more often than before, but Hyunjin could never read the others expression. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but Chan said he couldn't do it, so I thought I'd ask you for advice." Changbin explained. "We really need some help, it doesn't matter if it's about unrequited love, I'm better at writing sad songs anyway." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin snorted. "Okay, I'll help you." </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks man! Let me get my notebook and then you can just empty your heart about Seungmin." Changbin gave him a quick hug and ran away. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><em> I wonder what he's talking about, </em>Seungmin thought as he saw Hyunjin apparently go through a rollercoaster of emotions while he talked to Changbin who was writing in his notebook. Seungmin was doing homework at the dining table, but he got distracted when he saw Changbin run away and come back with his notebook. He watched in awe as Hyunjins expressions turned from loving to sad to worried to happy to confused and everything in between. </p><p> </p><p>"It's like we're watching a drama isn't it?" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh Jesus—" Seungmin jumped at Jeongins sudden voice. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh yeah, we were doing homework together.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Hey, did you just forget I existed?" Jeongin asked in an offended manner. "I'm sitting next to you!"</p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, you're just so ugly I always block you out." Seungmin joked. </p><p> </p><p>"I think it's more that Hyunjin is so beautiful you can only look at him." Jeongin raised an eyebrow. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin felt his cheeks heat up as if he was caught, but it indeed was true that Hyunjin was <em> very </em>good looking. </p><p> </p><p>"No answer?" Jeongin sighed. "So you're <em> still </em>figuring out what you think?" </p><p> </p><p>"It's hard okay?" Seungmin defended. "And Hyunjin has been a little more hesitant around me, so I don't even know if he even has a crush on me." </p><p> </p><p>"Does that even matter though?" The younger asked. "Can't you just go ask like 'hey Hyunjin I was wondering if you have a crush on me, because if you do I don't really know what to think, but I'd like to find out winkwonk', instead of you both pining constantly."</p><p> </p><p>"Jeez." Seungmin lightly slapped the other. "But maybe you have a point, maybe I should just ask. If he doesn't have a crush on me we can just go back to before, and if he does… Uhm, I'll maybe ask him to help me figure out what I think." </p><p> </p><p>"See? Sometimes I can give good love advice." Jeongin smiled brightly, causing Seungmin to do so as well. </p><p> </p><p><em> Yeah I'll do that, </em> Seungmin decided. He was sure he and Hyunjin could figure things out together. Things weren't bad now, but he'd rather have no tension between them and just be able to be themselves around each other, because Hyunjin could be himself so <em> well.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"I'll ask him this weekend." </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Seungmin was really nervous, more nervous than he had ever been. Why? He didn't know. Maybe because he didn't know what to expect. </p><p> </p><p><em> Just do it you coward, </em>he told himself and without thinking he tapped Hyunjin on the shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, are you busy?" </p><p> </p><p>He was surprised by the lack of wavering in his voice. <em> Nice, Seungmin.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Hmm? No, I'm not." Hyunjin smiled his cute eyesmile. "What's up?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, can I talk to you?" Seungmin tried to ask casually, but it didn't work that well. "In private?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjins eyes widened a little and his expression turned nervous. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, sure." The dancer tried to give a smile and followed Seungmin to the bedroom. </p><p> </p><p>"Everything okay?" He nervously asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, everything's fine." Seungmin gave a reassuring smile. "I just had a, uhm, question."</p><p> </p><p>"Okay." Hyunjin nodded. "Go ahead." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins heart was rapidly pounding and he was glad he wasn't shaking. <em> Don't back out now, Seungmin, do it.  </em></p><p> </p><p>He looked Hyunjin in his beautiful eyes and blurted out: "Do you have a crush on me?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin seemed frozen on his spot, his eyes seemed to be searching for some indication of what Seungmin thought, and he nervously bit his lip, but he didn’t say anything.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean—” Seungmin quickly continued, wanting to ease Hyunjin. “I’m sorry for asking such a question— I just, uhm…”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> God dammit Seungmin why did you start that sentence without knowing where you were going? What’s wrong with you? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“No, uhm, I get it.” Hyunjin said, not looking at Seungmin. “I haven’t been exactly, uhm, completely discreet about it… So, uhm— that means yes by the way, uhm, sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>He then shook his head. “Sorry, I’ll back off, uhm, I’ll leave, uhm, sorry for making you uncomfortable—”</p><p> </p><p>The taller boy was about to leave, but Seungmin quickly grabbed his wrist. “Wait.”</p><p> </p><p>He absolutely hated seeing Hyunjin being this awkward and apologetic, he hadn’t done anything wrong at all.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm…” </p><p> </p><p><em> Okay Seungmin, try to start a sentence knowing where you’re going. Just tell him the truth. </em>Seungmin took a deep breath before speaking.</p><p> </p><p>“I asked because I had my suspicions, but of course I didn’t know for sure.” He began. “And to be honest, I didn’t know what I would think if you did have a crush on me, uhm, I still don’t know completely I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked at him in disbelief. “Huh? You don’t know?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, no, because, I mean, you’re a really nice guy and I appreciate all the sweet things you say to me,” Seungmin continued his explanation. “but I never thought about that in a, uhm, romantic context, so I don’t know.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked down again, looking at his fidgeting hands, pressing his lips together in what probably was guilt.</p><p> </p><p>“I even talked to Minho, but I still don’t know.” Seungmin was almost out of things to say, and Hyunjin had barely said anything.</p><p> </p><p>Well, there was still the solution that Minho had given, asking Hyunjin for help in figuring out his feelings, but he needed Hyunjin to say at least something first.</p><p> </p><p>“Hyunjin?”</p><p> </p><p>The long haired boy looked up for a second before looking down again. “Uhm— sorry, I don’t really know what to say. Are you uncomfortable with me liking you or not?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm… I don’t think I’m uncomfortable— no, I’m quite sure actually. I just don’t know if what I feel towards you is anything other than platonic, if I’m just flattered by your compliments, or…” Seungmin trailed off, not sure how to end the sentence. “I at least really like you platonically.”</p><p> </p><p>Now Hyunjins head went up and stayed there. His eyes shone with confusion, but also hope, and a little relief. </p><p> </p><p>“Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I mean, you’re kind, you’re hardworking, you’re always laughing at everyones jokes, and you can be dramatic, but that’s funny…” Seungmin rambled, his mind wasn’t really working today it seemed. “And above all, you’re honest, you’re always completely <em> yourself </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Seungmin...” Hyunjin trailed off, cheeks dusted with a pink glow. “Gosh— <em> you’re </em>the amazing one here, trying to make me feel better about my crush while you’re the one struggling…”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjins tone was a little whiny, and his movements slightly resembled a frustrated child, as if Seungmin wasn’t being fair, but when Hyunjin looked him in the eyes again, biting his lip, and Seungmin smiled, he saw hope shine in Hyunjins eyes again. It felt like they both relaxed as they looked at each other, both wanting to assure each other that things would be fine through their expressions. </p><p>Maybe it was because the curtains in the bedroom were half closed, creating a mysterious but intimate ambiance, that Seungmin was entranced, but it could also be because of Hyunjins eyes shining amidst the half-light. Seungmin felt himself get a little warm, in a comfortable way.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t know how long they were looking at each other, taking in every feature of the others face, nor how they suddenly stood closer to each other, but he suddenly remembered what he was here for. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry.” Seungmin shook his head, trying to get his mind to focus for once. “I still haven’t made it clear for you what I want.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked like he was startled out of a trance as well and took a second to answer. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah. Do you want me to back off?” The dancer took a small step backwards to symbolize what he was saying. “I can try to get over you so we can just be friends, because— I’m now realizing that I haven’t said that yet— I of course like you in that way a lot too, and I’d like to stay friends with you if you don’t like me romantically.”</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin smiled. “No you don’t have to back off. Uhm, the opposite actually.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin gave a non-understanding look, mumbling ‘the opposite?’ softly to himself. Seungmin was still nervous about asking Hyunjin, but talking to him had made him relax a lot, so he had the confidence to ask without having to convince himself much, Hyunjin had already done that for him.</p><p> </p><p>“I want to find out what I feel about you, and I hoped you, uhm, wanted to help me with that…” Seungmin got a little shy at the end of his sentence, not being able to steadily look at the other anymore, but he got it out.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed Seungmin was being vague again, since Hyunjin looked at him with wide eyes for the dozenth time that day. </p><p> </p><p>“Help you..?” He asked. “Uhm, what does that mean?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Good question. </em> </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m not sure either,” Seungmin chuckled. “Maybe something like we try to do as if I do like you back? See what I think about that? Minho had also suggested going on a date maybe? We’ll figure it out.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh okay, yeah, I think I can do that.” Hyunjin smiled. “But you have to stop me when I go too far, please. This head of mine can be a little empty sometimes.”</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin chuckled. <em> Oh I have experienced that today too.  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Hyunjin.”</p><p> </p><p>“No thank <em> you, </em>Seungmin.” The taller reached for Seungmins hands, but stopped midway, looking at Seungmin with a look that asked if it was okay. Seungmin nodded and let him hold his hands. “Thank you for giving me a chance.”</p><p> </p><p>As Hyunjin softly stroked his thumb along the back of Seungmins hand, Seungmin felt like they were going to make things work, whether he would end up liking Hyunjin romantically or not.</p><p> </p><p>“Should we tell the rest?” Hyunjin asked, not letting go of Seungmins hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, yeah we can.” Seungmin nodded. “And else we don’t really have anywhere that we can freely do stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh yeah, that’s true.” Hyunjin chuckled and pulled him along by the hand. “Let’s go tell them then.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. I guess Minho is a good teacher</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"No you have to— no not like that, raise your arm a little higher— keep the angle forty-five degrees— is that forty-five, Changbin?" </p><p>It sounded like Minho was losing his patience. </p><p>"Sorry that I don't have any mathematical perception." Changbin whined and Minho sighed. </p><p>The dancer walked over to him to stand behind him and guided him closer to the mirror. Oh god, do I have to look at myself fail from up close now?</p><p>“I know I said it doesn’t have to be perfect, but we have to at least do the same moves.” Minho chuckled and grabbed Changbins arm. He hasn’t lost his patience yet? “Here, let me help you.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The third years go learn the choreography! (ft. a little bit of seungjin)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, I’m going well with the choreographies for the finished songs, how are you going with the rest of the songs?” Minho asked as he plopped down on the floor of the dance studio room. </p><p> </p><p>They had agreed to start learning the choreographies already, also at request of Changbin because he said he would probably need a lot of time to learn them.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, the love song is progressing well thanks to Hyunjin and Seungmin.” Changbin said. “And we’re soon meeting with Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin to record some of the songs, so we’re going well too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Changbin you’ve really saved us with that love song…” Chan dramatically sighed. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, well, you should thank Hyunjin mostly.” Changbin didn’t handle compliments very well. “And Seungmin for the fact that the song might end on a good note.”</p><p> </p><p>“And if you wouldn’t be such a coward, <em> Chan, </em>you could’ve done it yourselves too.” Minho added.</p><p> </p><p>It sounded like he was referring to something specific, but Changbin didn’t get it. <em> It’s hard to write love songs if you’re not in love yourself, whether you’re a coward or not doesn’t change that, right? Doesn’t that make it more likely that you </em> do <em> write a song, just because you’re too afraid to say it? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Anyway—” Chan stuttered. “Let’s warm up so we can dance.”</p><p>
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</p><p>They did some warming up and some stretching, and Changbin was curious what kind of dance Minho had come up with for their songs. It was kind of exciting, having someone make a choreography for your own song, it made things feel more real, more complete. </p><p> </p><p>“So the song for which I finished the choreography is this one.” Minho turned on the music player. “I immediately imagined a choreography when I first heard it. I’m pretty proud of it.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin smiled at the dancers enthusiasm, the song was one of their more hip hop-y songs which shouldn’t have surprised him. </p><p> </p><p>“Wait— let me show you first, so you can tell me if you even like it in the first place, haha.” </p><p> </p><p>Minho turned on the song and it looked like he transformed into different person. Changbin had seen Minho casually dance before, but not like this. His moves were smooth and clean and it looked like he knew exactly what he was doing. Changbin was very impressed, and the dance was perfect for their song, it looked very cool. <em> God, am I going to be able to do this? </em></p><p> </p><p>When Minho finished, Chan and Changbin began clapping enthusiastically.</p><p> </p><p>“You like it?” Minho smiled a bright and proud smile. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes we do!” Changbin almost screamed, infected by Minhos happiness. “Although, it does look very hard to learn…”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, don’t worry too much.” Minho brushed a hand through his hair, panting slightly from dancing. “You guys won’t have to dance when you’re rapping or singing, and I’ve made sure there aren’t too many position switches. How’s your stamina?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, not great, but not horrible.” Changbin answered. “My strength is better.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’ll have a little more than a month to work on that, so it’ll be fine.” Chan smiled. “We’re almost done with all the songs, so then we can fully focus on the choreography and the finishing touches.”</p><p>
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</p><p>Minho began showing them the first few moves slowly, explaining the techniques. Chan seemed to catch on pretty quickly, he had said that he had seen Minho dance a few times and he had learnt him a choreography once for fun. Meanwhile Changbin was struggling to get some the moves to look as clean as Minho made them look, he was a clumsy person, but he had thought that if he did it slowly it would work out. </p><p> </p><p>Minho gave him some more tips, sometimes stopping to make him do it like twenty times until he got the hang of it. Changbin was glad the three of them were the only ones in the room, because that made him feel less embarrassed than he would feel otherwise. Minho was kind and patient in teaching, trying different approaches to explaining until Changbin got it, but Changbin still felt a little like a burden. While Chan was already practicing the moves back to back, he was still stuck learning the individual moves. </p><p>
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</p><p>“Let's do the intro and Changbins first verse a few times and then take a break?” Minho suggested after a while.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin was glad he rapped the first verse so he had to dance less now, <em> but that means I have to dance more later… </em> Still he managed to trip over his feet the first time.</p><p> </p><p>“That’s okay, that can happen.” Chan said. “Let’s do it again.”</p><p> </p><p>The next few times Changbin didn’t trip over his feet, but as he looked in the mirror he saw that his moves didn’t look as pretty and clean as those of the other two. </p><p> </p><p>“Man, I’m already beat.” He panted and plopped down on the floor. “Sorry guys—”</p><p> </p><p><em> For dancing so ugly, for already being tired, for being such a slow learner, </em>it all applied, but Changbin was too out of breath to say it. </p><p> </p><p>"It's okay, we'll get there slowly but surely." Chan patted a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't this your first time learning dance?" </p><p> </p><p>"Well, yeah." Changbin nodded. "I've seen Hyunjin dance a lot of course, but haven't really learned anything before today." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, it's your first time? Well, you're doing a pretty good job then." Minho gave an approving look. "You just have to work on your finishes a little more." </p><p> </p><p>The dancer clapped a hand on Changbins stomach, mumbling a soft 'oh wow, it's soft', before continuing.</p><p> </p><p>"And besides, you're not getting graded on your dance. It doesn't need to be perfect, and it takes time to learn something new." </p><p> </p><p>That was right. <em> Hyunjin couldn't dance well at first too, but look at how good he is now. He's clumsy too, if he can do it, I can get better as well, I just have to be patient.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Thanks guys." Changbin said. "I have the motivation to continue now." </p><p> </p><p>"You had already given up?!" Minho gasped. "But I'm such a great teacher!" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin snorted. "Sure."</p><p>
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</p><p>They all drank some water and joked around some more before they decided to continue. </p><p> </p><p>"Oof…" Changbin groaned as he got up. "I can already feel it in my legs and stomach." </p><p> </p><p>"Same. Only legs though." Chan agreed. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> No wonder Minho has such large thighs, these moves are hard on them. But he doesn't have abs, I once saw that when he got out of the shower and decided to walk around in a towel, this weird man…  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Weak." Minho laughed. "Let's continue to Chans verse." </p><p>
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</p><p>Although Changbin had found new motivation to dance, he was already a little tired from before, so it didn't exactly go any better. There was this one move that he just wouldn't get right. Apparently he was doing something wrong with his arms, but what it was was a mystery to him. </p><p> </p><p>"No you have to— no not like that, raise your arm a little higher— keep the angle forty-five degrees— is that forty-five, Changbin?" </p><p> </p><p>It sounded like Minho was losing his patience. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry that I don't have any mathematical perception." Changbin whined and Minho sighed. </p><p> </p><p>The dancer walked over to him to stand behind him and guided him closer to the mirror. <em> Oh god, do I have to look at myself fail from up close now? </em></p><p> </p><p>“I know I said it doesn’t have to be perfect, but we have to at least do the same moves.” Minho chuckled and grabbed Changbins arm. <em> He </em> hasn’t <em> lost his patience yet? </em>“Here, let me help you.”</p><p> </p><p>The older gently lifted his arm up from where he stood, closely behind Changbin. Changbin was a little flabbergasted at the sudden closeness, and he couldn’t help but look at the other as he guided Changbins arms in the right position. <em> Minho looks very handsome up close. I didn’t know he had such long eyelashes </em> — <em> Changbin! Don’t get distracted! </em></p><p> </p><p>“I know I’m handsome, but don’t look at me. Look in the mirror.” Minho spoke softly, breath hitting Changbins skin, and he had a smile on his face, <em> a gorgeous smile </em> — <em> look in the mirror, Changbin! </em></p><p> </p><p>“O— okay.” Changbin managed to tear his gaze away, feeling heat creep up his neck. <em> What were we doing again? Oh yeah, I was learning a dance move. </em></p><p> </p><p>Although he was looking in the mirror now, he still couldn’t get himself to move, frozen by— <em> by what exactly? </em> Minhos small hands gently pushed his body into the right pose, softly whispering instructions as he did. <em> He has soft hands, and I like his gentle voice </em> — <em> focus on memorizing the move, Changbin!  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Good, squat a <em> little </em> more,” Minho put a little pressure on the hand that laid on his shoulder to indicate how much Changbin needed to squat. “and then just push this leg out a little more…”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin felt his head get even hotter as the older boy held one hand above his hip to prevent his upper body from moving as he reached his other hand over Changbins leg. Minho was pushed against Changbins back, head close to Changbins and looking over his shoulder, as his hand glided to Changbins inner thigh to push his leg out.</p><p> </p><p>A jolt shot through Changbins body at the touch and he jumped up, ruining his carefully guided pose. His heart was pounding dangerously fast and his head was beet red.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh shit—” Minho began panicking as he saw Changbin look at him with wide eyes. “I didn’t— I wasn’t thinking— I wasn’t— I didn’t intend to do that— uhm— I was only thinking about the dance move, I swear!” </p><p> </p><p>Changbin couldn’t answer, incomprehensible thoughts racing through his burning head. What was he feeling? He didn’t know.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, Changbin— I’m sorry.” Minho kept frantically apologizing. “I just— you didn’t say anything and I wasn’t thinking about where I was placing my hand so—”</p><p> </p><p>“It— It’s okay, Minho.” Changbin finally managed to bring out. He felt bad for the dancer, Minho probably thought he was disgusted, or traumatized or something, which wasn’t the case. “I was just— I was just startled. I know you didn’t mean to take advantage of anything.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho tried to calm his breathing. “Really?”</p><p> </p><p>“You were just trying to teach this clumsy boy to do a dance move properly, and my lazy ass let you do all the work.” Changbin tried to keep it light to assure Minho, and so that Changbin didn’t have to think about it too much. “So it’s kind of my fault too.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho gave a surprised chuckle. “Ah— Jeez— it wasn’t your fault, but I’m glad I haven’t just completely ruined, like, everything. Wait— I haven’t right?”</p><p> </p><p>“No you haven’t.” Changbin assured. “As I said, your intentions were to help me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’ll try to do that from a distance from now on, though.” Minho laughed, a tad awkward.</p><p> </p><p><em> Well, except for the, yeah, thigh grabbing, everything was fine… </em>he thought, maybe he had even liked the special attention, however embarrassing it was that he struggled so much with the dance move.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’ll try to do my best at the dance more, be less lazy.” Changbin said, although he didn’t need Minho to necessarily keep his distance that much.</p><p> </p><p>Minhos touches and gentle voice lingered in his mind for a moment more before they focused on the dance again. To Changbins surprise he didn’t need <em> that </em>much time before he finally got that damned move right. Apparently his body had remembered what Minho had taught him more than his mind had, probably because Minho had explained it with so much care, taking his time to carefully position him in the right pose so that it was ingrained into Changbins muscles almost. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, wow, I didn’t think you were actually listening.” Minho laughed when Changbin got the move right. </p><p> </p><p>“I wasn’t.” Changbin admitted with a teasing tone. “But I guess I’m a natural after all.”</p><p> </p><p>The other snorted. “Sure.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho seemed a lot more relaxed than before, but Changbin had expected some comment about how he was a great teacher instead. <em> I guess he’s not completely relaxed, then? </em> He decided to let that thought leave his mind and continue with the dance.</p><p>
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</p><p>He worked hard for the rest of the time, actually listening to Minho this time, and when they practised the first two verses, Changbin was pretty proud of the result. It still looked a thousand times worse than Minho or even Chan and it contained mistakes, but it looked a thousand times better than when they began, and Changbin decided to focus on the positives.</p><p> </p><p>“Nice work everyone.” Chan panted. “Damn, Changbin, it’s only been a day and I can already see the improvements.”</p><p> </p><p>“As I said— I’m a natural.” Changbin joked, lying on the floor in exhaustion. “And I <em> guess </em> Minho is a good teacher…”</p><p> </p><p>He looked at the dancer to see a bit of a surprised expression on his face, then his face squished up in a smirk.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I had to muster up <em> all </em>of my patience. It was really hard, but I managed.”</p><p> </p><p>For once Changbin was glad Minho was teasing him, but he wouldn’t show that of course, so he just gave the other a whiny slap.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Hyunjin couldn’t focus on his homework, his mind was occupied by thoughts about Seungmin. Sunday they had held hands and cuddled all day, it wasn’t much because they wanted to start slowly, maybe Seungmin didn’t even like cuddling already. It had turned out he in fact liked it, which shouldn’t be surprising as Hyunjin had given him lots of hugs before.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin fondly thought back at the memory of holding Seungmin in his arms, the other smiling brightly like a kid. Hyunjin had had to seriously restrain himself from giving Seungmin a million kisses when seeing his cute smile. How could he not think about it all day?</p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t wait for Seungmin to return, on school days they had less time to cuddle, but this homework was due tomorrow… <em> Well, the sooner you finish, the sooner you can cuddle with Seungmin! </em>It was like a switch in his head flipped as he began vigorously working on his homework.</p><p> </p><p>“Wow, what suddenly happened?” Jisung, who was also doing homework at the dining table, laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“When I get this homework done I can cuddle with Seungmin!”</p><p> </p><p>Felix and Jisung bursted out in laughter.</p><p> </p><p>“What dedication.”</p><p>
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</p><p>A while later they heard the click of the door unlocking and Hyunjin perked his head up to see Seungmin and Jeongin returning.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait just a second!! I’m <em> almost </em>finished!” Hyunjin yelled, trying to find the right balance between writing as fast as he could and keeping the writing legible.</p><p> </p><p>As soon as he was finished he slammed his pen on the table and ran towards Seungmin to give him a tight hug. He heard the other laugh and felt him return the hug. Seungmin had told him to just act as if he liked him back, and Hyunjin almost completely did. He acted as if Seungmin liked him back but he didn’t know what his boundaries were yet, which was kind of the case in a way. </p><p> </p><p>It was pretty dangerous for Hyunjin to let himself go like this, because what if he would go too far one time and Seungmin wouldn’t even accept hugs after that? Or what if Hyunjin would get to believe he liked him back but it would turn out not to be the case? <em> Let’s not think about that now, let’s do this for Seungmin. </em></p><p> </p><p>They positioned themselves on the couch, Seungmin enveloped in Hyunjins arms, Hyunjins head resting on Seungmins shoulder, and Seungmins arms slung around Hyunjin as well.</p><p> </p><p>“Seungmin don’t you have any homework?” Jisung asked. “Hyunjin here worked very hard to get it done before you came.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Seungmin did the same at the working class.” Jeongin laughed. “It was a subtle difference with the usual, but as I’m an expert in seeing through Seungmin, I saw he was working just a little bit harder.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked up at Seungmin, who rolled his eyes at the younger with a smile and snuggled a little bit closer. </p><p>
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</p><p>A little while later, Changbin, Chan and Minho came back as well.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry that we’re late, someone was being a little slow.” Minho announced.</p><p> </p><p>“Uuughghhhh, my legs hurt…” Changbin let out an unholy groan and laid himself on the couch, over Seungmin and Hyunjins legs. “Hhhhhh…”</p><p> </p><p>They laughed at Changbins dramatics, and Felix asked what happened.</p><p> </p><p>“We practised the choreography that Minho made for one of our songs.” Chan explained.</p><p> </p><p>“Changbin danced?!” Hyunjin lifted his head off Seungmins shoulder and slapped Changbin on his legs, eliciting another groan from the smaller. “Oh I wanted to see that.”</p><p> </p><p>“I once wanted to teach him modern dance, but he said he wasn’t elegant enough for that, and he indeed wasn’t.” Hyunjin added with a chuckle.</p><p> </p><p>“The disrespect… I did great by the way, I’m a natural at hip hop.” Changbin whined and rolled off of them onto the carpet. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked towards Chan and Minho. “How slow was he?” </p><p> </p><p>Changbin was clumsy like himself, so Hyunjin imagined he took long learning the moves, just like Hyunjin did when he just started learning dance.</p><p> </p><p>“He needed about half an hour for one move.” Minho confirmed.</p><p> </p><p>“Doesn’t that just mean you’re a bad teacher?” Seungmin teased, a mischievous smile on his face. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin thought there was something in Minhos face that twitched, but otherwise his face was completely neutral. </p><p> </p><p>“No he wasn’t!” Changbins upper body perked up, seemingly having said it out of panic (?). “The move was just… ridiculously difficult, even for a natural like me with a decent teacher.”</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway, are you two still in the cuddling stage?” Minho suddenly changed the subject as he turned towards Hyunjin and Seungmin. “Seungmin’s still unsure if he likes it when you cuddle?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked at Seungmin. </p><p> </p><p>“No, I definitely like to cuddle with Hyunjin.” Seungmin grabbed Hyunjin tighter to express his words. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I thought so.” Minho nodded. “So why aren’t you moving forward? Or have you already done things besides hand holding and cuddling? I mean, these can be platonic gestures too.”</p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, uhm…" Hyunjin looked at Seungmin again. "What do you want?" </p><p> </p><p>"That's the whole thing, I don't know." Seungmin chuckled. "You just do whatever you'd do if I liked you back." </p><p> </p><p>"But I don't want to go too far." Hyunjin said, fidgeting with his hands. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll stop you whenever I dislike something." Seungmin assured with a smile. </p><p> </p><p><em> Gosh, he's so dreamy… </em> Hyunjin smiled back and brushed a hand through the others hair in adoration, letting his hand fall to the others cheek. Seungmins smile turned a bit shy, but he leaned into the touch a little as Hyunjin brushed his thumb along his cheek. <em> Should I give him a kiss? </em>Hyunjin thought, cheeks getting warmer. </p><p> </p><p>The expression on Seungmins face as he looked up at him convinced Hyunjin to move closer and press a light kiss on Seungmins cheek. He leaned back to check Seungmins expression, and his heart almost exploded when seeing the others bright smile. </p><p> </p><p>"You're so cute, Seungmin!" He basically squealed and gave Seungmin another smooch, making him giggle. </p><p><br/>Hyunjin couldn't stop smiling, just like Seungmin seemed to. <em> Even if we only do this, I would be more than happy. </em>Seeing his friend smile and giggle like this, cuddling with him, and forgetting about everything around them, was all he needed.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Gotta love throwing in those cliche moments hhh<br/>I always read the part where Minho helps Changbin back bc i like it so much jdgbhfhj</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Can I?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Can I?" Hyunjin whispered, looking up at him from slightly lidded eyes, and, along with Hyunjins fingers still softly brushing along his cheek, Seungmin felt like he would go insane if Hyunjin didn't kiss him right now. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, please." Seungmin breathed. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some recording sessions and Seungmin and Hyunjin get some time for themselves :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Fridays were always completely dedicated to working on their project for Minho, Chan and Changbin, so they spent the morning practising the rest of the choreography for the first song. Because the project was less of a big deal for the dance majors than for the music producers, Chan and Changbin had practised the dance a little more without Minho. Minho had seen that in how they danced today, they remembered what they had learned pretty well. </p><p> </p><p>He was so glad that Changbin wasn't traumatized by what he had done, and that he had been able to still learn it so short after Minho had basically harassed him.</p><p><em> How could I have done that? </em> It was true that when he did it, he hadn't at all thought about the implications of just grabbing someones inner thigh, but if he thought back to it, he had to admit that his heart didn't only pound in guilt, but also excitement. He would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't at least a little attracted to Changbin, but that only made him feel more guilty. And it made him think of things he didn't want to remember. </p><p> </p><p>Luckily it seemed like Changbin wasn't only not traumatized, but he also seemed to be trying to assure Minho that everything was fine, for which Minho was very glad. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah, Minho." Chan began when they took a break from dancing. "Are you free this afternoon? I was wondering if you wanted to feature in one of our songs too." </p><p> </p><p>"We're meeting with Seungmin, Jeongin and Jisung this afternoon to record some things." Changbin added. "Chan told me your falsetto would fit perfectly in the ballad. And maybe you want to feature in this song too." </p><p> </p><p>Minho felt his ears heat up a little. "I'm not that good at singing, though, but I'd at least like to feature in this song yeah." </p><p> </p><p>They were only dancing to the demo Chan and Changbin had sent him, and he really liked this song, so he was excited about that. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah come on, Minho." Chan waved a hand. "You have a great falsetto, and maybe you can also create a small choreo for the ballad, impress your professors with something other than hip hop <em> and </em>a choreo for six people!" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Something other than hip hop…  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"That reminds me—" Minho said. "Changbin, will your parents come to the showcase?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin seemed to be surprised by the question. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I don't know, haven't heard from them in a while, luckily," He said. "but I'm guessing they will, knowing them they want to keep a close eye on me. But— I'll try to deal with them as much as I can, so don't worry about it, at least not now." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, I was just curious." Minho tried to act casually.</p><p> </p><p>He also wanted to know what to expect, for himself and for Changbin. <em> And maybe I also want to at least </em> try <em> to make an okay impression.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"But I'll try to help with the ballad as well, yeah. Can't guarantee the singing will be up to standards, but going out of my comfort zone with making a choreo sounds fun." </p><p>
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</p><p>After they were done with dancing the three of them headed to the unis recording studio and met with Seungmin, Jeongin and Jisung. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho's here too?" Jisung looked pleasantly surprised. "Will you be singing too?" </p><p> </p><p>"I might." Minho gave a thoughtful expression. "At least I'll feature in the song I've choreographed first." </p><p> </p><p>"Nice!" </p><p> </p><p>"Let's warm up our voices and get started?" Chan suggested, followed by nods from the rest. </p><p> </p><p>After their warm up they started with the song Minho had choreographed. Chan and Changbin said they had a few short lines in mind for him, and they seemed easy enough for Minho to do, so he easily recorded them. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh this song sounds so fun! I wish I could feature in all of them too…" Jisung jumped in his chair as they listened to the end product. </p><p> </p><p>"I'd like that too, but that would mean you'd have to learn the choreo, which would be a little too much with your exams coming up in a month as well…" Chan sighed. "But luckily you can feature in all the songs that have no or little choreography." </p><p> </p><p>"That reminds me—" Minho began. He was reminded of a lot today wasn't he? "We thought about making a choreography for the ballad, a simple one. Is everyone okay with that?" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung immediately nodded, while Seungmin and Jeongin shared a hesitant look. </p><p> </p><p>"I can make it extra simple for you two if you want." Minho added. </p><p> </p><p>That seemed to convince the two. </p><p> </p><p>"Sure. I'll keep in mind that we'll need to practice for my planning for the exams." Seungmin nodded. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but don't blame me if I look ugly dancing later." Jeongin grinned. </p><p> </p><p>Minho shrugged and they continued on to record the ballad, the song they all came for. Minho had been surprised that Chan and Changbin hadn't merged the requirements to make both a love song <em> and </em>a ballad, but Chan had come up with a track for the ballad, which had inspired Changbin for non love related lyrics. </p><p> </p><p>The lyrics Changbin had written were about prejudices and the hardships of being forced to be someone you're not, about wanting people to just let you be and stay out of your business if it doesn't concern them. Minho thought it might have been inspired by Changbins situation with his parents, maybe a little by Hyunjin too, but the lyrics were written in such a way that everyone could relate to it. Minho certainly did, especially to the parts about that even though you’re not hurting anyone, people feel the need to voice their disapproval to you. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin was the first one to record as he sang the first part, and Minho was shocked by the difference between his dark rap style, and his sensitive singing. Until now, he had mostly heard him rap in the demos they had send him, a little singing too, but not like this. It wasn’t as stable as the rest in this room excluding himself, but along with his rapping Changbin knew how to get the feeling across for sure. </p><p> </p><p>As Minho listened he felt tears prickle in his eyes as he thought back at what he had been through.</p><p> </p><p>“You okay?” Jisungs gentle voice whispered. “He delivers well, huh? And that combined with the lyrics…”</p><p> </p><p>Minho nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just, uhm, yeah, moved by the song.” </p><p> </p><p>Jisung put a hand on his shoulder. “Understandable, me too, but probably not as much as you.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho let out a breath. “I guess Changbin, Hyunjin and I have a few similar experiences.”</p><p> </p><p>The other boy hummed in agreement. “Why don’t you tell them sometime? Then you can also tell Changbin how his lyrics moved you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think I will.”</p><p>
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</p><p>After Changbin was done, they all clapped and gave him compliments. The small boy got a little shy at the attention, but he had a proud smile on his face. </p><p> </p><p>They asked who wanted to record next, Seungmin and Jeongin were only there to record the ballad, so Chan asked if they wanted to go first so that they could go home, even though they had brought their homework here. </p><p> </p><p>“Hyunjin and Felix aren’t done with classes yet, so we don’t have to go first.” Jeongin said. “I’d like to hear the rest sing, especially Minho.” </p><p> </p><p>The heads of his friends all turned towards him with expecting looks.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d rather not go after Changbin just did <em> that </em>—” Minho both referred to Changbin doing well, and Changbin moving him. “But when I think about it, any one of you is probably not that much better…”</p><p> </p><p>It was silent for a second before he continued. “Uhm, someone else go first. I need to mentally prepare.”</p><p> </p><p>Maybe it would be good to sing when you’re all up in the emotions of the song, but Minho was just afraid of his voice cracking or something. He didn’t particularly like showing his vulnerable side, and he was sure he would get the feelings back in a smaller dosis when it was his turn.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung volunteered to go next, he had both a rap part and a singing part and Minho had full faith in his friend that he would also move him. <em> I guess everyone will. </em>It didn’t move him as much as Changbin had, but Changbin had had the element of surprise with this singing voice and actual experiences relating to the lyrics, so it wasn’t surprising. </p><p> </p><p>After Jisung was done, they repeated what they had done for Changbin, clapping and giving compliments. Seungmin and Jeongin followed Jisung with recording, but stayed to watch Minho. Chan offered to go after Minho, because if Minho turned out not to want to do it after all, Chan would take the parts.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you ready, Minho?” Chan asked. “Still wanna do it?”</p><p> </p><p>Minho took a deep breath before standing up. “Yeah. I’ll at least try.”</p><p> </p><p>As he put on the headphones in the booth, his heart was pounding in nervosity. They let him listen to the demo parts a few more times until he was ready, and if he already wasn’t completely immersed in the feeling of the song, he now was. </p><p> </p><p>He took another deep breath before recording the first line, but his voice still cracked.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit, sorry.” Minho apologized.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, we can go again as many times as you like.” Chan said as he pushed the button to allow him to speak to Minho.</p><p> </p><p><em> Okay, another deep breath. </em> He did better now, but his voice was still a little shaky. <em> Again. </em>Minho closed his eyes and took yet another deep breath, calming down a little more each time. Focusing only on the lyrics, on the melody, and on his experiences regarding the lyrics, he sang the line again. </p><p> </p><p>“Holy shit, Minho— that was perfect!” Changbins voice brought him back to reality. “Wait— let me play it again. It’s perfect, right?”</p><p> </p><p>He saw the rest in the room nod, Chan looking proud, and the other three watching Minho in awe. </p><p> </p><p>“Can we use this, Minho? Are you happy with it too?” Changbin asked, eyes sparkling.</p><p> </p><p>For a second Minho wondered why Changbin was like that, but then he remembered that Changbin was the one who wrote this song, and since he said it was perfect, it must be pretty exciting to have someone sing a line of <em> your </em>song exactly how you imagined it. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’m satisfied with it.” Minho felt a little bit shy at the attention. “You can use it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Next line?” Chan asked, and Minho nodded. He was ready for more now.</p><p>
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</p><p>After his recording, Chan, Changbin and Jisung jumped up to give Minho a tight hug. Jeongin and Seungmin clapped in the background as he was washed over by compliments from the five. </p><p> </p><p>“Come on, it wasn’t <em> that </em>good.” Minho said. “Everyone here can sing better than me.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not about how well you can sing!” Chan retorted. “It’s about <em> what </em>you sing. And besides, sometimes it’s nice to hear a little strain in someones voice, it adds something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Chan said it.” Jisung smiled.</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly.” Changbin agreed. “When Chan said he knew the perfect parts for you, I hadn’t expected it to be <em> this </em>perfect. I almost cried when we listened back to it, I really felt your emotions.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho felt his ears burn and shrugged, eyes down on the floor. “I guess I can relate to the song as well.”</p><p> </p><p>He took the silence that followed as an opportunity to sit back down on a chair and wait for Chan to go and record. He shut off his mind for a second, needing to calm down from everything. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, you okay?” </p><p> </p><p>Now it was Changbin who asked, and Minho wasn’t really feeling like talking now. <em> Another time, I have relived those moments enough for today.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, uhm, just— the song hits kinda close to home." Minho mumbled. "I don't really want to talk about it right now." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, okay, sorry." Changbin moved away to give Minho some more space. "Thanks for still agreeing to record, it must've not been easy." </p><p> </p><p>Minho nodded a little, after which it became quiet and he focused on Chans voice. Before he knew it, Chan came out of the booth and was greeted by claps from everyone, and a high five and a 'that was amazing' from Jisung. Minho noticed their hands lingered on each other just a little longer than for a normal high five, Chans fingers brushing along Jisungs before pulling back. </p><p> </p><p>After that, Seungmin and Jeongin left, saying they'd go home with Hyunjin and Felix, leaving Minho with Jisung, Chan and Changbin. It was quite relaxing to just listen to them record their songs, and from the more upbeat songs he regained some energy. </p><p> </p><p>"No one does it like you, Jisung!" Chan yelled after Jisung had nailed one of his parts. </p><p> </p><p>And the compliments kept coming, <em> as they should, </em>Minho thought. These three were really passionate about music and it was endearing to watch them be so excited. As they listened to the end products of the songs, Minho wrote down some ideas for choreographies. </p><p> </p><p>"Five done, three to go." Chan said with a satisfied smile. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>"Hey!" Seungmin and Jeongin greeted the two second year dancers just outside the dancing building. </p><p> </p><p>The two greeted back and they started walking home. After a while, Hyunjin glanced around and swiftly put an arm around Seungmin. </p><p> </p><p><em> Oh? Bold, </em>Seungmin thought, but he didn’t mind. He leaned a little against Hyunjin as they walked, and let his fingers brush the hand swung over his shoulder. Seungmin had definitely been enjoying this trying to discover his feelings thing he was doing with Hyunjin. He liked when Hyunjin gave him affection, and the past few days he had been slowly started doing it as well. </p><p> </p><p>He wasn't completely sure if his feelings for Hyunjin were strictly platonic or not, but he was beginning to think they were not. They still hadn't done much that could <em> not </em>be interpreted as platonic, although if people saw them they'd definitely see them as a couple, but yesterday when Hyunjin was giving him a shower of kisses on his face and had lingered close to him after, Seungmin had been kind of disappointed when he moved away without doing anything. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, I suddenly got an idea." Felix said. "You can't really go on proper dates, right?" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin and Hyunjin nodded, they had talked about it, but couldn't think of anywhere they could go and not have people stare or risk being seen by people they knew. Just cuddling after a long day of studying was fine. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, since the rest will probably be recording for a while more, Jeongin and I can give you some privacy, right Innie?" Felix suggests and Jeongin nodded. "Then you can kind of make it a little like a stay at home date? Without preparation?" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin laughed and felt Hyunjins arm tighten around him. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes that would be nice, thanks guys." Hyunjin smiled. </p><p>
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</p><p>When they arrived back home, they stood still in silence for a moment. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, should we take the bedroom or do you two wanna?" Jeongin asked. "Here you have more freedom, but there you have more privacy when the rest comes back." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin looked at Hyunjin to see what he wanted, but when the other didn't answer, Seungmin did. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, let's go to the bedroom." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin felt heat creep up his neck at the implications that sentence could carry, but they hadn't even kissed yet, and Seungmin hoped that being in the bedroom would give Hyunjin the courage to go a step further than he has gone before. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay! Wait, before you go—" Felix quickly ran to the kitchen and came back carrying a few bags. "Take some snacks." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin smiled as he took the snacks, and when Hyunjin returned with his laptop, they headed to the bedroom. </p><p> </p><p>"I have my laptop, so we could maybe watch a movie?" Hyunjin suggested as he positioned himself on his bed, motioning Seungmin to join. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin hummed in agreement. "Let's do a short one?" </p><p> </p><p><em> So that there's more time for other things, </em>Seungmin added in his thoughts. He totally didn't mind watching a movie with Hyunjin, but he also wanted to finally know for sure what he felt. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, sure." Hyunjin smiled. "Do you mind if I pick one? Or do you know one you wanna watch?" </p><p> </p><p>"No, you can pick." Seungmin said and snuggled closer to Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>They got comfortable in each others arms after Hyunjin had turned on the movie. Hyunjins head was resting on Seungmins shoulder, and his arms were tightly wrapped around his waist, while Seungmin had one arm around the others shoulder, and the other around his arms. </p><p> </p><p>The movie was dramatic and a bit over the top for Seungmin, but seeing Hyunjin get immersed in it made up for that. <em> He's really just himself and himself only, huh? </em>Seungmin smiled, Hyunjin was cute. </p><p> </p><p>When the movie ended, Hyunjin looked up at Seungmin expectantly from his shoulder. </p><p> </p><p>"Did you like it?" He asked. </p><p> </p><p>"I always like cuddling with you." Seungmin replied. "And the movie was, uhm, fine, but I liked watching it with you." </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked down, his face revealing a little disappointment. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, you could've just said it that you didn't like it, uhm, and sorry that I didn't ask." </p><p> </p><p>"You did, you asked if you could pick and I agreed." Seungmin brushed a hand along Hyunjins shoulder and arm. "And I enjoyed seeing you enjoy it."</p><p> </p><p>"Really?" Hyunjin looked hopeful and gosh he was beautiful. "Still, next time you can choose. We're doing this for you." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin smiled, Hyunjin was so sweet and considerate. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but a part of figuring things out is finding out about you too." He turned towards the other to look in his eyes when he said it. </p><p> </p><p>A shy smile appeared on Hyunjins face as Seungmin kept his gaze on him, but when Hyunjin got a little bit closer, it was Seungmins turn to get shy. The closeness made him feel warm, and he moved his arms around the other to signal him he could stay like this. He saw Hyunjins eyes flicker between his eyes and lips, and his heart began beating faster in anticipation. The slightly taller boy moved even closer, brushing his hands lightly along Seungmins cheek, but he stopped right in front of Seungmins lips. Seungmin looked at Hyunjins cushiony looking lips, feeling the breath that came from between them on his. </p><p> </p><p>"Can I?" Hyunjin whispered, looking up at him from slightly lidded eyes, and, along with Hyunjins fingers still softly brushing along his cheek, Seungmin felt like he would go insane if Hyunjin didn't kiss him right now. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, please." Seungmin breathed. </p><p> </p><p>Both of their eyes closed and Hyunjins hand steadied on his cheek as he closed the gap between him and Seungmin. Despite the fact that Seungmin had made it clear that he definitely wanted the other to kiss him, Hyunjin went in lightly, not putting much pressure. Seungmin didn’t mind, he enjoyed the soft sensation of Hyunjins lips on his, getting used to it before fully joining in. He pulled the dancer a bit closer at the waist, making him stumble a little in their slightly awkward position, but Hyunjin soon regained himself and did as Seungmin had wordlessly asked, letting his hand slip behind Seungmins neck and moving his lips across Seungmins with more pressure. </p><p> </p><p>Just as Seungmin began to forget where they were, they heard a knock on the door. Hyunjin, startled by the sound, pulled back and Seungmin just bewilderedly processed what just happened. </p><p> </p><p>“Seungmin? Hyunjin?” Chans voice sounded from the other side of the door. “Uhm, dinner is ready and we were wondering if you guys wanted to eat together, or if you wanted it there or later.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin and Seungmin shared a look. <em> Well, now the mood is kind of ruined, and I have what I wanted, an answer. </em>However much he wanted to stretch the moment with Hyunjin, it would probably take a while for them to get into it again, so Seungmin suggested they’d just eat dinner with everyone. </p><p> </p><p>“Sure.” Hyunjin smiled and gave the hand he had grabbed a squeeze before he yelled an answer to Chan. “We’ll be there in a minute!”</p><p> </p><p>They looked at each other again, Seungmin couldn’t really get enough of that, and they both snorted.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Hyunjin.” Seungmin smiled.</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t have to voice his answer, it was pretty obvious, and besides, an idea just popped into his head. Because Hyunjin had been so patient and sweet, Seungmin wanted to officially tell him his answer in some special way, since the other liked sappy dramas so much. </p><p> </p><p><em> I’ll have to ask Changbin what would be good maybe, </em>he thought as they arrived at the dining table, Hyunjin leading Seungmin by the hand. </p><p> </p><p>“How was your date?” Changbin asked.</p><p> </p><p>“It was great.” They both answered, and Seungmin felt a blush appear on his cheeks as he thought back at it. </p><p> </p><p>Luckily the rest didn’t ask any more questions, they could deduce enough information from the looks and blushes that were painted on his and Hyunjins faces.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I rrlly loved this chapter too hhh</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Lovesick</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Chan smiled and trapped Jisungs fingertips between his so that Jisungs hand couldn’t escape. </p><p> </p><p>“You sure I won’t just distract you? Or can dream-Chan only do that?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung snorted and pulled Chan down to sit next to him again.</p><p> </p><p>“No, real Chan can do that too.” He said without thinking. “What real- and dream-Chan also have in common is that they can save me, for example, you can save me from this boring assignment.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan laughed, showing his pretty dimples. </p><p> </p><p>“Well then, let me try to live up to dream-Chan.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Jisung is thinking again,,, but then he goes head empty<br/>Changbin is still a rebel</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungmin had been jumping around almost all day Saturday, barely even giving Hyunjin the chance to do something because the other was so jumpy. Seungmin and Changbin had also gone to the university for a bit because Seungmin said he realized he wanted to do his part for the ballad again, having come up with a better way of singing his lines. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Today, Sunday, it was basically the same, only less of Seungmin jumping around and more of him helping Changbin with finishing the love song. Chan and Hyunjin had offered to help as well, but they had said it wasn't necessary. Jisung had to say he was a little surprised that they had declined Hyunjin, but he shrugged it off, guessing they had their reasons. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin and Seungmin being all sweet and happy with each other the past few days had made Jisung think. It had made him think about Chan in particular, and thinking about Chan had made him think about the time he was sick. He had thought about Chan so much that he had dreamed about him. In the dream Jisung had fallen down somewhere and couldn't get up, not being able to move, but Chan came to save him. Afterwards a lot of hugging and snuggling had followed, and the rest was a blur. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dream didn't mean that much, Jisung had dreamed about snuggling lots of people, but the fact that he was constantly thinking about the older boy must mean something. What it exactly meant, he didn't know yet, but he knew it wasn't bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should take Seungmins example and try to find out, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, staring at Chan sitting at the desk. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His side profile is pretty…</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if Chan heard his thoughts, the older boy turned to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey." Jisung greeted, head leaning on his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan seemed a little startled, but smiled as he greeted back. "Hey, Sungie." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They stared at each other for a moment before Chan spoke again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is everything alright?" He asked, his pale cheeks glowing a light pink, probably from the staring. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung hummed and nodded his head on his hand. "Can't really focus on my homework, though." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Any particular reason? Or just, yeah, can't concentrate?" Chans expression turned slightly worried. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm…" Jisung thought about what to say, and decided to just tell the truth. "I was just thinking about you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older boys eyes widened as the pink on his cheeks deepened in color. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wh— what?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung shrugged, feeling his cheeks heat up as well. "I just— dreamed about you, so…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fidgeted with the hem of his way too big shirt as his gaze shifted between his hands and Chan, feeling a bit exposed suddenly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, you're not getting sick again, are you?" Chan seemed to have forgotten about his embarrassment and headed over to Jisungs side to place a hand on his forehead. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung looked up and began laughing, and the confused look on the others face made him laugh even harder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh? What's so funny?" Chan stuttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You just— you're always so worried." Jisung laughed and a little smile formed on the olders face too. "I don't have to be sick and delusional to dream about you, Channie." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I— I know that." Chan said, his ears bright red. "I just thought— because you said that you couldn't focus, and you were, like, staring—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed. "Nevermind. Sorry." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung chuckled, he was just teasing a little. He understood that Chan was reminded of the time that he was sick, Jisung himself was too, but now he definitely wasn't sick, right? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe lovesick— hahaha that's a funny one. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maybe I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>sick.” Jisung grinned. “I dreamed that you saved me when I couldn’t move, so maybe I’m lovesick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He laughed again at his own joke, but Chan just awkwardly chuckled, his whole face red from embarrassment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ha, funny.” Chan chuckled and cleared his throat, looking away from Jisung, continuing in a more serious tone. “Uhm, I’m flattered that you dreamed that I saved you, but please don’t let your, uhm, lovesickness for me distract you from your homework.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gave a little strained smile and patted a hand on the papers on the table in front of Jisung. Jisung pouted a little, </span>
  <em>
    <span>did my joke make him uncomfortable? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you bothered by my joke?” He just asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan looked at him with wide eyes again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Uhm, no</span>
  <em>
    <span>—</span>
  </em>
  <span> why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung squinted his eyes, not believing the other.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Channie, you can just be honest with me. If the idea of me being lovesick over you makes you uncomfortable</span>
  <em>
    <span>—</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t.” Chan interrupted him, placing a hand on his. His eyes had an intense look in them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung was a little startled by the others seriousness, and Chan himself seemed to be too, as he murmured a soft ‘sorry’ and shortly tangled his fingers with Jisungs before moving his hand away. Jisungs hand followed Chans receding hand for a bit, prolonging the touch, letting their fingers move around each other for a little longer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They seemed to do that a lot, letting their hands find each other and briefly holding on or letting them brush against the others. Jisung wasn’t completely sure why they did it, their hands weren’t particularly soft like Minhos, Jisungs were even a little dry, but Chan didn’t seem to mind. Jisung didn’t either.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The older began to slowly stand up to return to the desk, and Jisung suddenly panicked a little. He didn’t want Chan to leave yet.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait</span>
  <em>
    <span>—</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jisung unconsciously grabbed Chans hand again. “Help me with my homework.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What’s your plan, Jisung? Why are you doing this? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He didn’t need any help with his homework, well, maybe with concentrating, but was Chan going to help with that? Maybe, maybe not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uhm, if you’re not busy yourself.” Jisung slowly let his hand slip away from Chans again, realizing that he had sounded kind of demanding. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan smiled and trapped Jisungs fingertips between his so that Jisungs hand couldn’t escape. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure I won’t just distract you? Or can dream-Chan only do that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung snorted and pulled Chan down to sit next to him again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, real Chan can do that too.” He said without thinking. “What real- and dream-Chan also have in common is that they can save me, for example, you can save me from this boring assignment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan laughed, showing his pretty dimples. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well then, let me try to live up to dream-Chan.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung grinned as they turned towards his homework assignment. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I like real Chan better, though, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, totally forgetting about any intentions he had had to maybe figure out the reason why his mind was frequently occupied with Chan.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin had been exhausted from working the whole weekend, and he was looking forward to relaxing this evening. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s already starting off well with Felixs delicious food, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately, Changbin always seemed to have the worst luck because just as he was enjoying his last bites of food, his phone rang. His friends at the table looked at him and Changbin excused himself, he almost never got calls, but when he did…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed as he saw that he was right, his parents were calling him. Reluctantly he picked up the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?” He tried his best to hide his annoyance in his voice. “Is it important? I’m having dinner right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Good evening to you too. You’re still having dinner at this hour? And what kind of way is this to greet your parents?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin suppressed a sigh.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were all diligently studying, dad, and I’m kind of exhausted from that, so sorry for the rude greeting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Anyway, we hope that’s also the reason that you haven’t been calling us. Because— how long has it been since you’ve called? Oh no, I think it was only us who called.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now a sigh did manage to escape from his lips.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, as I said, things are busy, and also boring, so there’s not much to tell.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Things are already busy? But there’s still a few weeks left until you have your exams, right? And </span>
  </em>
  <span>surely </span>
  <em>
    <span>there’s something you can tell us, like, how are your roommates? Are they not being too distracting? How is Hyunjin? Is he doing well? How is your project going? Did that guy keep his promise to leave his hip hop out of it?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Jesus christ, they can’t possibly </span>
  </em>
  <span>really </span>
  <em>
    <span>be interested in my life that much, they just want some control.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just doing all I can to work on the project and stuff, that’s why it’s so busy.” Changbin couldn’t lie very well, especially not to his parents, they always knew immediately when he lied. “And, yeah, the roommates are doing well, Hyunjin too. He’s very popular amongst his classmates, amongst everyone really.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s good. Also good that you’re working on the project so hard, although, not if the reason you’re working so hard is because your group mates aren’t working hard. They’re not obstructing you, right? Or coercing you to do genres you don’t want. Are you sure you and Hyunjin don’t—”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mom. Dad.” Changbin cut them off. “My group mates are working hard too, we all want to make the best of this project. Now, my food is getting cold, can I please resume my dinner?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Of course. Good that everyone is working hard. Let’s show your professors that you’re more than a rapper, let’s show everyone how sophisticated you can be. We look forward to seeing the end product of the hard work at the showcase. Bye son.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bye.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin swallowed nervously at their last statement as he sat back down at the dining table. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So they </span>
  </em>
  <span>are</span>
  <em>
    <span> coming to the showcase.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything alright?” Chan asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Sorry for that.” Changbin nodded. “It wasn’t as bad as I expected, luckily I had my dinner as an excuse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They began about the project again?” Minho asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but they asked a thousand questions so I just ignored the ones I didn’t want to answer.” Changbin explained. “Oh, but they did say they, uhm, are coming to the showcase, and I think they think we’re going to be sophisticated because we’re working so hard.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minho made a face while Chans brows furrowed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you guys have a few hip hop songs as well, right?” Felix asked. “I mean, from what I’ve heard they sound really cool and nice, and I’m sure there’s a lot of thought and detail in the songs, but I don’t know if I would describe them as sophisticated? At least not the dance, from what I’ve seen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, that’s the problem…” Minho trailed off and turned to Changbin. “So they still think you aren’t going to be dancing hip hop?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin nodded. “Yeah, but I’m prepared to be totally obliterated by my parents after the showcase, it has happened before, so don’t worry. I just hope they won’t try to blame you guys because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing what </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think that helped Chan to stop worrying.” Jeongin commented. “Or anyone else for that matter.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Too bad for you guys then, because it’s my problem and no one can really do anything about it.” Changbin said and pushed back his chair to signal that the conversation was over. “Let me take your plates to the kitchen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took everyones plates, put them in the sink and skipped towards the couch to throw himself onto it with a deep sigh. Of course he didn’t look forward to his parents disapproving of his life choices and his friends and the genres he enjoyed, but what could they do? Telling his parents could prepare them for disappointment, but he didn’t want to deal with that stress before everything was finished. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who knows what they’ll do if they hear about it when they can still try to change things? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Changbin.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A figure appeared over the couch, it was Minho.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Minho.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dancer trapped Changbin on the couch by placing his arms on the head- and armrest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to change the choreography?” Minho was completely stone-faced as he looked down on Changbin. “I can change your parts, or remove you from the choreo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin sighed. “No. The whole point of living on my own is that I can do what I want. I don’t want my parents to decide for me what I can and can’t do, and I’ll deal with the consequences.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was slightly startled by the grin that appeared on Minhos face after his words. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What’s so funny?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good.” Minho grinned. “Just wanted to check if you didn’t have second thoughts about being a rebel. Fuck everyone who wants to tell you what to do, how to act or what to like and dislike, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin grinned back. “Yeah, fuck them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The expression on the others face briefly changed to something unreadable before turning back into a grin as he left Changbin at the couch.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>chansung hand holding :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. A problem shared is a problem halved</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The silence that followed was probably Minhos cue to start talking. He swallowed before he began.</p><p> </p><p>“Where to start…” He felt his stomach drop as he recalled the memories.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Changbin and Seungmin are acting a little suspicious..?<br/>Also, Minho tells his sad backstory</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, where’s Seungmin?” Felix asked as he, Hyunjin and Jisung greeted Jeongin to walk home together. The third years were always busy with their project lately.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, he said he wanted to ask some things to some professors, you know, see if he was headed the right way with his assignments.” Jeongin waved his hands around to symbolize some things, but Hyunjin didn’t really get what. “Boring stuff, he said it might take a while so we could go ahead.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin let out a deep sigh. That meant he would have to wait to cuddle his stress away with Seungmin. If he was honest he was a little disappointed at the amount his and Seungmins relationship had progressed since they kissed. Seungmin had been busy with schoolwork, busier than Hyunjin was because he was helping Changbins group on their project in multiple ways, from helping with the lyrics for the love song, to helping record backing vocals and helping with vocal lessons. Hyunjin hadn’t known that the singer was also so interested in music production. </p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong, Hyunjin?” Jisung asked in relation to Hyunjins deep sigh.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just<em> — </em> we had some evaluations to see how much we had still had to do before the exams,” Hyunjin began. “and, I mean, it <em> mostly </em> went well, but most of my classmates just commented on my looks instead and made moves on me instead of focusing on my dance, while <em> they’re </em>dancers too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh shit man.” Jisung clapped a comforting hand on his shoulder. “That must suck.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, and you know what’s the worst? One professor also said that I shouldn’t rely on my looks and work a little harder.”</p><p> </p><p>“What the actual<em> — </em>” Jeongin sounded like he was very close to swearing. “You’re like the most hard working person I know along with Felix.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin smiled. “Thanks, and it sucks yeah, but luckily Yeji and you guys are always there to support me. And <em> I </em>know I work hard and don’t rely on my looks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” Felix nodded. “Sucks that Seungmin isn’t here to give you some good affection.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, <em> we </em>can still do that too, right? C’mere.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung spread his arms open to give Hyunjin a hug, and Felix and Jeongin soon followed. This definitely made Hyunjin feel better. It would of course be even better if Seungmin and the others were there as well, but this wasn’t half bad, this was a thousand times better than living in a rigid rich neighborhood where physical affection was an unspoken taboo.</p><p> </p><p>When they arrived back home, it took way too long for Seungmin to return, Hyunjin thought. He was even later than Minho, Chan, and— <em> hey where's Changbin?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Hey, where's Bin?" Hyunjin asked when he saw Chan and Minho coming home without their small friend. </p><p> </p><p>"He said he lost one of his notebooks at one of the lectures, and told us we could go ahead." Chan explained. </p><p> </p><p><em> Ah, typical clumsy and forgetful Binnie, </em> Hyunjin thought, but he saw Jeongin squint. <em> Does Jeongin not believe Chan? But this is totally a Bin thing to do.  </em></p><p> </p><p>When Seungmin finally came home together with Changbin, Hyunjin of course immediately wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, Hyunjin." Seungmin chuckled. "I'd love to cuddle, but I still have work to do, sorry." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay…" Hyunjin answered, a little deflated, and slowly let the other go. </p><p> </p><p><em> I guess I'll resume my homework too, then… </em>he thought, but just sat down pouting. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey Seungmin, can I borrow you for a sec?" Jeongin asked. "Can you come with me?" </p><p> </p><p>"I just said I had some work to do, can it be later?" Seungmin looked done. "And I'm pretty tired." </p><p> </p><p>"I can see that, but it won't take long, I just have some urgent questions about this assignment for tomorrow. Please follow me." Jeongin grabbed his classmates arm and dragged him away before Seungmin could protest. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin softly snickered at Jeongins bossyness, you can't say no to him, even Seungmin can't. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p><em> Another Friday, another day of practice, </em>Minho thought as he silently greeted Chan and Changbin. Today would fully be for dancing, as Minho had fully finalized the choreography for the ballad. It was pretty hard because the genre hadn't been up his alley, but luckily Hyunjin had helped a little bit and he wasn't too unfamiliar with making choreographies for multiple people. </p><p> </p><p>"So, it's not too fancy or detailed or something, but it's something, and simple is maybe nicer for you guys." Minho explained. He would show the creators of the songs the choreography first, for approval. "I'll dance my part, but it of course looks better with all of us." </p><p> </p><p>Minho put on the now fully recorded song and began dancing, fully immersed in the feeling of the song. It was the first time he had ever choreographed from feeling <em> this </em>much, but that was kind of the purpose of modern dance. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh wow, that was… amazing." Changbin gaped. "I mean, I'm used to seeing Hyunjin doing modern dance and this is very different, but still, I felt it." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, I didn't know you could do this too!" Chan excitedly said. "It was really good." </p><p> </p><p>"Thanks guys." Minho felt his ears turn red. "Credits to Hyunjin too. I still think I'm not as elegant as him, but he helped me a lot." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin shrugged. "Maybe it's not as elegant as Hyunjin, but just like with your singing, it has the feeling, while you're usually so soulless." </p><p> </p><p><em> Is that a compliment? </em>Usually Minho would laugh, but the song had him in a certain mood. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm— sorry, I meant that as in that it's brave of you to let your emotions show while you usually seem to, uhm, struggle with letting them show? Or they're not even there?— and I'll stop now because I'm <em> not </em>making things better." </p><p> </p><p>Now Minho laughed at Changbins panic. </p><p> </p><p>"You're not, no." He grinned. "But thanks."</p><p> </p><p>"Well, I'm glad you can find yourself in the song, although— maybe not because it's not a happy song— but maybe you find, like, comfort in it? I hope." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin wasn't really finding the right words today, was he? Minho found it funny. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, I do find a little comfort in it, making this choreography was kind of freeing." </p><p> </p><p>"I'm glad." Chan said. "Sometimes it's comforting to know that you aren't the only one struggling with a certain problem. A problem shared is a problem halved." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, well only if it's shared, and I haven't done that yet." Minho mumbled. "But I want to, uhm, also with Hyunjin." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin frowned a little. "Yeah? You don't have to." </p><p> </p><p>"No, I want to." Minho said more firmly now. "I trust you two. And besides, you two are the ones with similar experiences." </p><p> </p><p>The smaller boy nodded with a little smile. "Okay." </p><p> </p><p>"But that'll come later. First, practice!" </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They resumed their practice for the first song, making sure the choreography would be ingrained in their memories, and trying to sing and rap a little while dancing. Later, after the break, Seungmin and Jeongin would come to help with that and practice for the ballad with them and Jisung. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Bin.” Minho began when their break started. “Uhm, do you want to hear my story together with Hyunjin or now already? I think Hyunjin will maybe come some time after the break, but...”</p><p> </p><p>He felt a little awkward talking about his experiences as he didn’t really know well how to properly show his emotions when it was about a heavy topic, especially if it was about himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, I think we’ll hear it together, less repeating for you—” Changbins eyes suddenly widened when he stopped talking.</p><p> </p><p>The small boy jumped up. “Oh shit— I have, uhm, an appointment!”</p><p> </p><p>Minho looked confused as the boy ran away, kind of amazed at his sudden energy.</p><p> </p><p>“An appointment..?” Minho mumbled.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah, I think he said he accidentally planned something with a professor on Friday during the break.” Chan confirmed, but something told Minho it wasn’t really the truth.</p><p> </p><p>Chan was a bad liar, and Minho thought he saw some signs that he wasn’t telling the truth completely, but they were faint, so he wasn’t sure. <em> Maybe it’s just the fatigue. </em>Minho shrugged it off, it wasn’t like it was his business if Changbin had something different to do during the break.</p><p> </p><p>After the break, Jisung was the first to arrive and join them.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Where’s Changbin?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“He had this appointment with a teacher. Bad planning.” Minho decided to say, Jisung would be less able to see if Minho was lying than if Chan was lying, and if apparently Changbin wanted people to think he had an appointment with a professor - which by the way could very well be true - then Minho wouldn’t mind helping.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung nodded and they just went over the basics of the choreography for the ballad while they waited for the rest to come back. Sure enough, the rest arrived a little later, all together.</p><p> </p><p>“We found this guy on our way.” Seungmin pointed a thumb towards Changbin. </p><p> </p><p>Minho squinted his eyes at the three. He found it a little suspicious that they arrived at the same time, Changbin and Seungmin had seemed to be hanging around each other a lot lately, first for their project, but kind of secretly also. ‘Coincidentally’ both having to stay later at the university, once they returned together, another time shortly after one another. It could all just be a coincidence indeed, but it happened a little too often, Minho thought. <em> Does Chan then know what’s going on? Jeongin probably too…  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Did your professor appreciate your sweaty appearance?” Minho joked, trying to see how the other would react.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uhm, I apologized for the non-sophisticated appearance because I was working hard for the project.” Changbin said, not looking Minho in the eyes. “I just kept a little distance.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Okay, there’s definitely something going on. </em> That was all Minho thought he needed to know, but it wasn’t all he <em> wanted </em>to know. He hated that he was so curious, because if they wanted to tell him, they would have.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s start practising.” Chan offered. “Minho?”</p><p> </p><p>And so they did. After a while Hyunjin and Felix joined to come look and help with the dance as well, and Minho, being completely immersed in teaching the dance, forgot all about his curiosity from before.</p><p> </p><p>“Great job guys.” Minho panted as he threw himself on the floor along with the rest when they were done for the day. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, it’s the track that also helps you get into the feeling.” Jisung gave a thumbs up to Changbin and Chan. </p><p> </p><p>“It does, doesn’t it?” Seungmin agreed.</p><p> </p><p>“Speaking about that…” Minho began hesitantly. Changbin looked at him as if he already knew what was coming. “Hyunjin? Do you have time to listen for a second? Uhm, about, uhm, what kind of feelings this song evoke for me?”</p><p> </p><p>Gosh, it felt so awkward to talk about his experiences, and the silence that fell didn’t help that at all. Minho just looked at the floor so he wouldn’t have to see everyones pitiful expressions.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, yeah sure.” He heard the tall dancer say.</p><p> </p><p>The silence that followed was probably Minhos cue to start talking. He swallowed before he began.</p><p> </p><p>“Where to start…” He felt his stomach drop as he recalled the memories. “So, at the beginning of my second year, uhm, yeah, we had this assignment to come up with a choreography for two people.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho let a short silence fall before continuing, his eyes were on the floor, but he didn’t see the floorboards, only the images of his memories. He heard people swallow in anticipation.</p><p> </p><p>“And I of course paired up with one of my friends, on whom I happened to have the slightest crush… You see it coming already don’t you?” He chuckled emptily. “Well, I didn’t at that point. We worked together pretty well, but one of the requirements of the assignment was to incorporate at least one move that you couldn’t do without another person, something you had to do together.</p><p> </p><p>We just decided to do some simple things, like help with a backflip, jump over the other, pull each other up, that kind of stuff. So we did that, and, uhm, as you’re maybe expecting already, I was kind of falling for that friend, working so close with him.”</p><p> </p><p>He balled his fists, nails digging into his skin as he took a deep breath before continuing. Thoughts about the situation being similar with Changbin now were invading his head, but he tried to push them back as far as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway, we got a very good grade for the assignment, the professor told us we had good chemistry, funny huh?” Minho gave another empty chuckle. “That gave past Minho some more confidence, I thought ‘yeah, we have good chemistry, huh? I can tell him about my crush, maybe something will come from it, and otherwise, it’ll be fine, right?’. Well, stupid young Minho didn’t care to subtly ask what his friend thought about guys liking guys before he confessed, he thought that the fact that his friend was nice to him, didn’t comment on his sometimes a little gay jokes, and was comfortable with dancing close to him, was enough. </p><p> </p><p>Surely enough, when I had mustered up all my confidence and I told him, he first laughed at me, he thought I was just joking as I sometimes did. This should’ve already been a warning to young and naive Minho, but no, I said that I was serious. I mean, I was kind of sick of having to hide it all the time, so I guess I just wanted to tell <em> someone </em>. At this time, we just had moved into the dorm where we live now as you know, so no one knew yet. </p><p> </p><p>So I told him I was serious and I had a crush on him. You should’ve seen how pale he got, immediately stepping back fifty steps. He quickly regained himself, though, and began calling me names, swearing at me, the typical stuff, you know. He told me things like that he felt abused because he did that assignment with me, and naive Minho tried to assure him I didn’t do it because I had a crush on him or something, that our friendship stood above my feelings, but of course he didn’t listen, he didn’t <em> want </em>to listen. I also tried to ask him not to tell anyone, but he either wasn’t listening anymore or he just didn’t give a fuck.</p><p> </p><p>Fast forward to the next day, almost everyone from our class knew already, no one wanted to come close to me anymore, afraid I would do to them what they had heard I had done to my friend. But luckily I had my ability to be stone-faced, so the bullying and pushing and stuff soon faded and they kept it at disgusted looks and keeping their distance. What made it even better was that it also spread to other classes, so my new roommates found out too, but fortunately not <em> everything </em>was against me, and my roommates were pretty understanding. Of course they were cautious at first, not knowing what from the rumors was true and what wasn’t, but that slowly melted away and they became my friends!”</p><p> </p><p>Minho gave a forced smile, hoping to lighten the mood before he ended. He looked down again when he continued.</p><p> </p><p>“So I thought everything would be fine, but then my friend dropped out and I was blamed for it. I was put under extra supervision with assignments that involved multiple people, and only girls agreed to work with me. But now in this new year it’s less bad, fortunately. I’ve made a few friends again besides our roommates, so it’s all relatively fine now, but I guess now you guys too know, uhm, what this song means to me.”</p><p> </p><p>When he looked up again, the room was awfully silent. Everyone looked another way, awkward expressions on their faces, not knowing what to say. He felt Jisung grab his hand to comfort him. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’m glad that this song helps.” Changbin broke the silence. <em> God bless. </em>“This is exactly the reason why I write songs, for people who have the same problem to find comfort in knowing that they’re not alone.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho smiled, now genuinely. He was glad Changbin kind of brought the attention away from him, because Minho didn’t need any pity. What happened happened and he didn’t want to dwell on it for too long. </p><p> </p><p>“They were mostly being so harsh on me because they believed I had harassed and abused someone, so don’t be <em> too </em> scared, Hyunjin.” Minho thought he’d add, he didn’t want his friend to be frightened for himself. The world isn’t <em> that </em>bad. “Still be careful with who you tell, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I will.” Hyunjin nodded and looked at Seungmin, linking their hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Let’s go home then.” Minho stood up, he was done with this heavy atmosphere.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait— before we go…”</p><p><br/>
Changbin scrambled up and gave Minho a tight hug after which the rest followed soon. <em> Oh. </em>He was used to his friends giving hugs once in a while, but Changbins hug somehow felt extra soft and warm.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oof, a bit heavy, huh? well,,,, next chapter too,,, be prepared for angst....</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. I guess we both have some things to work on</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>That was the last drop. </p><p> </p><p>“I can't believe you would say that!" Hyunjin yelled, tears streaming down his face. "Go and do your stuff with Changbin, whatever it is. I don’t care.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned around and stomped away towards the bedroom, vision blurry, ignoring all the looks from his roommates, and slammed the door behind him.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I edited this chapter so muchh dkgjf i struggled</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hyunjin had hoped that this weekend Seungmin would be less busy, but no. Seungmin, Changbin and Chan went working on some song again and after that Seungmin had been busy with his other homework. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Surely today he has more time, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought. He went over to Seungmin who was just scrolling through his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seungmin?” He asked. “Are you maybe less busy today? I thought we could maybe—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I am not.” Seungmin put down his phone and gave him an apologetic look. “I promised Changbin to help—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Again?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Hyunjin didn’t mean to cut him off, but he was getting kind of frustrated. “Is it </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>important that you’re constantly busy? Surely if you say that it’s too much work they’ll—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyunjin.” Seungmin sighed. “It’s a lot of work, but we want to get as much done before the exams, so it’s okay. Yeah, I’m a little tired, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>offered to help so I’m okay with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin sighed back and pouted. “Can I join you then? We have so little time to, you know, be together and do things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even though Hyunjin hadn’t gotten an explicit answer from Seungmin as to whether Seungmin liked him back, their kiss surely had meant ‘yes I like you back’, right? Well, Hyunjin was getting less and less sure about it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, sorry, but we’re just going to do some singing and stuff, it’s boring.” Seungmin grabbed his hand. “We probably can’t do anything together either if you join.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t mind listening to you sing, I mean, I’m already done with all my homework—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin jumped a little at Seungmins sudden harsh voice, letting go of the others hand in surprise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh? Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A— As I said, we probably can’t do anything.” His friend seemed to panic a little. “And maybe you’ll be distracting.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That hurt a little, </span>
  <em>
    <span>does Seungmin not want me around? Has he changed his mind? Did the kiss overwhelm him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But—” Hyunjin was a little bit lost at what to say. “I mean, I can be quiet if I want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just go do something else, something that’s more fun, Hyunjin.” Seungmin looked a little frustrated with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I want to do something with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The brown-haired boy gave a deep sigh. “Hyunjin…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?” Hyunjin said harsher than he intended. “Don’t you want to do something with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure, but I don’t have time for that right now. I promise I will make it up to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I can join you guys, right?—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Seungmin cut him off again. “Just—” He sighed again. “Just be a little more patient.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin frowned and bit his lip. Why was Seungmin being like this?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Be patient? What does that even mean?” His voice was a little bit shaky. “Why don’t you want me to be there?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s—” Another sigh. “You know how Changbin gets distracted easily, right? And as I said, it’s boring for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now this was just getting ridiculous. Seungmin was obviously hiding something, Changbin was distracted easily yes, but he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to have more company, even if he had to work.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But as </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>said, I want to hear you sing and be around you.” Hyunjin was starting to get a little bit desperate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“God, Hyunjin why are you being so stubborn?” Seungmin looked really frustrated now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> being so stubborn? You can also just tell me directly if you don’t want to hang out with me.” Hyunjin had to fight against tears prickling in his eyes and he cursed himself for being so emotional. “Or if you don’t like me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What— </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hyunjin</span>
  </em>
  <span>, jesus. It’s not like I’m avoiding you or anything, I’m just busy that’s all.” Seungmin wasn’t looking at him. “We all want to get things finished, </span>
  <em>
    <span>without </span>
  </em>
  <span>distractions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t like he was avoiding him, no, but Hyunjin did feel like there was more going on. Seungmin didn’t talk to him about what he was constantly doing with Changbin, or when he had to stay longer at the university, and it felt like he was hiding something from him and it just didn’t feel good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think I’m a distraction?” He just asked from the many questions in his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No— it’s not like that— just let it go, Hyunjin.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin wanted to turn around and leave, but Hyunjin grabbed his wrist.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can I when you say you want to hang out with me, but simultaneously say you don’t want me around?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin pulled his wrist free of Hyunjins grip. “Only when I’m working.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Working with </span>
  <em>
    <span>Changbin, </span>
  </em>
  <span>you mean?” He finally addressed the others constant secrecy with Changbin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin was fine with Hyunjin clinging onto him when he did regular homework, but always when he would work on that damned project no one was allowed to be there expect for Chan sometimes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Seungmin looked a little startled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So there </span>
  </em>
  <span>is </span>
  <em>
    <span>something.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re like constantly being secretive with him and stuff, constantly having to work with him, or stay late exactly when he has to too. Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>only working on that project?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmins eyes widened before his expression turned </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>irritated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jesus christ— Hyunjin </span>
  <em>
    <span>what </span>
  </em>
  <span>do you think we’re doing?” Seungmin basically spat at him. “Can’t I do things on my own? Or with other people without you constantly monitoring me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not— Seungmin!” Hyunjin now really felt tears coming. “I just don’t get why you don’t want me around, and why you’re not telling me what’s up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There’s nothing ‘up’.” Seungmin rolled his eyes. “Just— just leave me be Hyunjin! Do you know how possessive you’re being? I’m not your property or something. I don’t need to tell you everything or explain myself to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin looked away and bit his quivering lip to prevent Seungmin from seeing his tears fall.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just— thought that at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>honesty </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be a part of— of— whatever our relationship even is!” He was startled by his own loud voice. “Just say it, Seungmin. Just tell me you don’t like me. Don’t do this confusing shit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys—” Chan began.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“Keep out of it.” Seungmin hissed, his knuckles were getting white from how hard he was balling his fists. “I </span><em><span>do </span></em><span>like you Hyunjin! And </span><em><span>I </span></em><span>thought at least a little</span> <span>trust would be a part of whatever our relationship even is.” </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why aren’t you </span>
  <em>
    <span>acting</span>
  </em>
  <span> like you like me?!” Hyunjins voice cracked, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>frustrated. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can’t you see that I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span>? I’m busy and tired and I still do everything I can to give you enough attention, isn’t that enough?” Seungmin looked like he was on the verge of crying as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it certainly doesn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel </span>
  </em>
  <span>like you’re trying when you’re trying to get rid of me to do things with Changbin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The expression on the others face turned to anger. “Gosh, Hyunjin you’re so </span>
  <em>
    <span>demanding</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I’m doing my best to give you the attention you want, but just because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel like it’s not enough I’m suddenly not trying anymore?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin couldn’t think coherent thoughts, his brain occupied with irritation, head throbbing from the tears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>you, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin.” He almost yelled. “I’m trying to help </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>figure out your feelings, and that is kind of </span>
  <em>
    <span>difficult </span>
  </em>
  <span>to do when we can’t be together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you? Are you doing this for me?” Seungmin was now crying as well. “Why aren’t you letting me be then? Why are you demanding that I spend more time with you while I’m busy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, it sounds an awful lot like you </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to spend more time with me, while you say you like me. What’s the truth?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>just </span>
  </em>
  <span>said I like you! Why don’t you trust me Hyunjin?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How can I when you’re contradicting yourself?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can like you and need time for myself at the same time!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How is working on stuff with Changbin having time for yourself?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There you go again! It’s not about that! You don’t</span>
  <em>
    <span> get </span>
  </em>
  <span>it, Hyunjin!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their voices were getting louder with every sentence, and everyone was probably staring at them, but they didn’t notice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“No, I don’t</span> <span>get it indeed! I don’t know what to believe and what not!"</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you don't trust me </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad, do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>even like </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, maybe I shouldn't! If you’re going to be like this, how can I even trust you to make things up when you're </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>busy? How do I know you aren't going to be occupied with your 'time for yourself'?” Hyunjin sniffed angrily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, if you want someone to satisfy your unreasonable needs for attention, why don't you go date one of those girls from your class then? They are all over you, isn't that what you want?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was the last drop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can't believe you would say that!" Hyunjin yelled, tears streaming down his face. "Go and do your stuff with Changbin, whatever it is. I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned around and stomped away towards the bedroom, vision blurry, ignoring all the looks from his roommates, and slammed the door behind him. Once he was there, he sighed and let out a scream, feeling all emotions suddenly wash over him. It was one thing that Seungmin was being confusing and not being honest, but he hadn't expected him to tell him to go date one of those girls that were basically obsessed with him, that fucking hurt. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The slam of the door echoed through the now silent room, just like the words Hyunjin had yelled echoed through Seungmins mind. He crouched down, putting his head in his arms, and let his tears flow freely now, mind blank. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt a few arms around him, and a few hands patting him, but he didn’t care to look. He was so tired from everything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is everything I've done for nothing now? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seungmin?" Changbins voice sounded. "I want to, uhm, check on Hyunjin, but I don't know what I can say. It looked like you didn't tell him." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shook his head in his arms. "Do whatever you want." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, but are you still— nevermind. I'll see what I can do." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After Changbins footsteps had faded, only the sound of Seungmins sniffling was left in the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do you want to talk about it?" Chan asked hesitantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shook his head again. "My head hurts. I— I think I just want to take a nap or something, I don't want to think right now." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He slowly stood up, legs shaking lightly, to head to the bedroom, but he realized Hyunjin was there. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Couch it is, then. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He plopped down and stared into nothingness for a while before closing his eyes. He felt fucking exhausted. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin softly knocked on the bedroom door, he wanted to get a blanket for Seungmin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come in." Changbins voice sounded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin slowly opened the door, whispering 'just getting a blanket' as he tiptoed across the room. It didn't look like Hyunjin and Changbin were talking, Hyunjin was just sniffing as Changbin hugged him. He contemplated asking Hyunjin how he was, but decided it wouldn't really make anything better. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Changbin probably hasn't told him anything, that's Seungmins job I guess. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he left the bedroom and put the blanket over his friend, he tried to focus on his homework, but he couldn't. A tense atmosphere hung in the room, but no one talked. He shared a concerned look with Chan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Has Changbin said anything to Hyunjin, you think?" Chan whispered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I think they're just hugging." Jeongin answered. "Did you hear what they were fighting about?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I didn't hear everything, but Hyunjin thought Seungmin didn't like him, because he was suspicious about what Seungmin was doing with Changbin? Seungmin tried to convince him he did like him, and that he did his best to show it, but Hyunjin didn't trust him or something? And then Seungmin told him to go date some girl from his class or something. I'm not sure, but that was what I heard."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin thought. He would have expected Seungmin to tell Hyunjin what he was planning, or at least that he was planning a surprise for him, when Hyunjin would get suspicious, or sad about the lack of attention. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seungmin must really have been tired, then, and maybe Hyunjin said something that pissed him off in his tired state as well, because that part about the girl? Wow, that goes too far. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think we can really do anything except for trying to talk to Seungmin." Chan continued. "They have to solve the rest themselves." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah." Jeongin nodded. "I hope they do." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The evening arrived soon without Jeongin noticing. Seungmin hadn't woken up yet, but Hyunjin and Changbin had hesitantly joined them in the living room again. Jeongin absolutely hated the awkward atmosphere, and Seungmin wasn't even awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It remained mostly silent in the living room except for the sounds of his roommates making dinner. When it was time for dinner, Seungmin still hadn’t woken up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should we wake him up?” Jisung asked, eyeing Hyunjin and Seungmin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm, maybe, or else he won’t be able to sleep tonight…” Chan said and went over to the sleeping boy to softly shake him awake as the rest seated themselves at the dining table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin grunted as he slowly woke up, and his eyes widened as he saw Hyunjin sitting at the table with his back turned to Seungmin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dinner is ready, you’ve been sleeping for quite a while.” The oldest of their roommates said gently.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not that hungry, but I guess I need to eat something…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, luckily his sense is back, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin thought as Seungmin slowly stood up and joined them at the table, avoiding eye contact with Hyunjin. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They silently ate their dinner, and Jeongin didn’t know if he hoped that the two would talk, or not.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seungmin—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin and Hyunjin both looked at each other surprised, but quickly looked down at their food again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can go first.” Seungmin said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay.” Hyunjin mumbled. “Uhm, it really hurt me when you said that I should just go date some girl from my class because I'm unreasonably needy. Do you really see me that way?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin gulped, a guilty expression forming on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well— no, not completely, uhm—" Seungmin seemed a bit panicked. "Look, I really regret saying that you should date some girl from your class, I crossed the line there, and I overreacted with saying you have an unreasonable need for attention, but…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>But?</span>
  </em>
  <span>" Hyunjin didn't seem to be happy with a 'but'. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Seungmin, please think about what you're going to say. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Listen— I’m also sorry for snapping at you and apparently not being straight forward enough with you, uhm, and also for lying to you… so I understand that you didn't know what to believe.” Seungmin paused a second. “The thing is, I was planning a surprise for you together with Changbin, that’s why I was being like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but Seungmin held up a hand to signal he wasn’t done yet. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It seems like he thought about this, maybe he wasn't asleep the whole time. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I also realize I should’ve just told you that, and I shouldn’t have resisted for so long because that is partially the reason why it got out of hand, and I also really don’t want to fight with you, but…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin frowned, he hadn’t looked at Hyunjin once while he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"But it's not like you weren't in the wrong too." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm— I mean, yeah, I’m sorry for what I said," Hyunjin seemed a bit taken aback. "I didn’t mean to imply that you aren’t trustworthy. I just didn’t get it— but now I see why you didn't want to tell me everything, and I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for your apology, Hyunjin, but it wasn’t the apology I was looking for.” He said. “That wasn't why I was mad.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin gulped, this didn’t sound so good.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What— that wasn't why you were mad?" Hyunjin looked like he did his best not to get irritated. "Seungmin can you please be clear for once?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will—" Seungmin seemed to fight the same irritation. "I just hoped you would see it on your own, but when something bothers me, I tend to tell people directly, which I already did, for the record." </span>
</p><p> </p><p><em><span>Seungmin keep your cool, please keep your cool. </span></em><span>The boy sighed</span> <span>for the thousandth time, but it seemed to calm him a little. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why I'm mad is that I didn’t expect you to— to suddenly act so possessive, like I owe it to you to hang out with you every second, or like I owe it to you to explain what I've been doing when you're not with me. That's why I said those harsh words."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin bewilderedly looked at the other, seemingly processing what Seungmin had said. He then looked down, guilt and confusion written all over his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh…" Hyunjin bit his lip and frowned. "I see, uhm, I just wanted to know why you didn't want me to join you with Bin, and because you didn't want me to do that, I thought you didn't actually like me, so I just wanted you to prove that. Maybe it came across as a little possessive, and I'm sorry for that, but that doesn't justify your hurtful words."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins voice was trembling slightly, and Jeongin felt his stomach drop. </span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know, I already said I regret those words, and thank you for the apology, but…" Seungmin mimicked Hyunjins frown. "it was pretty scary how you acted, and you didn't even see it, so I don't know if everything is completely fine now, although I do acknowledge that the fact that I lied, or held back the truth, played a role. And as you said, honesty is needed for a functioning relationship, whether it’s friendship or not, and I also said some hurtful things, so I understand if you don't completely forgive me as well." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They still weren't looking at each other, and Jeongin held his breath in anticipation of Hyunjins answer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I don't. Because even though you regret your words, they had to come from somewhere, and the fact that you said them says something about how you see me." Hyunjin looked like he was fighting tears again. "I guess you don't know me as well as— as you thought— or I hoped." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now Seungmins expression was filled with guilt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But maybe that applies to myself too, as I didn't know I could come across as possessive…" Hyunjin mumbled, a pained expression on his face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess we both have some things to work on, then." Seungmin said, and with that their conversation ended. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>Jeongin let out a little breath of relief, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thank goodness that they didn't fight again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew Seungmin hated conflict but he also got upset easily so Jeongin had hoped for this, but Seungmin still seemed a little off? or confused? He wasn't getting over it as quickly as he usually did at least. Jeongin imagined it would be confusing indeed to think you like someone and then have a fight. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe they both went a little too fast, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin thought, because he saw they both had a point. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As someone who absolutely hates conflicts and avoids them at all costs, this was hard to write kdjngfjkhn<br/>I always want to immediately solve everything kfhn</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. He always manages to make my mind go blank, doesn't he?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Ah, Seo Changbin decides to inquire further, good move. You see, the setting is usually 'maffia'," Jisung air quoted the word 'maffia'. "but one can think of other settings, like what if instead of civilians and maffia, you have two rivalling biker gangs? And every 'night' they do a race, but the 'maffia' push someone off their motorbike, and you don't know of course who the maffia is, because you have to keep your eyes on the road." </p><p> </p><p>Felix burst out in laughter along with his friends, Jisung really knew how to lift a mood. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh! And the doctor is like a repair guy, who can repair your bike!" Jeongin excitedly brought in. "And the cop is, uhm, a, uhm—" </p><p> </p><p>"The cop has side view mirrors to see the brand of motorbike of course, but he can only look once per ride, gotta keep those eyes on the road, right?" Jisung added, making everyone laugh again. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chappie is a lil lighter<br/>(warning for me trying to be a little funny and failing)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The exam period was coming closer and closer, and Jisung was <em> stressed. </em>Not only did he maybe bite off more than he could chew by wanting to participate in every song he could from Chan, Changbin and Minhos project, the increasingly colder weather and the slight tension between Seungmin and Hyunjin diminished his concentration significantly. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn't particularly the case that he was very behind with his assignments or something, or that he had stage fright, it was the anticipation of being in a big crowd of people he didn't know that stressed him out the most. For their practical exams they were allowed to bring a few people to watch, so if Jisung wanted to watch any other performances besides his, he needed to be in a crowd. </p><p> </p><p>Another stress factor was the fact that Chan seemed to be sleeping less and less lately. <em> He's even more of a perfectionist than me. </em>Last year he did it too, but as this was kind of a big deal, Jisung feared it would be worse this year. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung, are you ready to go over it once more?" Minho pulled him out of his thoughts. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh yeah, we're practicing.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"I see everyone is suffering because of the exams coming up, or from, uhm, other things." Minho continued and shot a look at Seungmin. "But I know you all can do it! And regarding the dance, only <em> my </em> dance needs to be perfect, so don't let this stress you out." </p><p> </p><p>Everyone nodded, getting back some energy from Minhos speech, at least, Jisung did. </p><p> </p><p>"Good, let's do it one more time and stop a little early, okay?" </p><p> </p><p>So they did, and decided to wait for for Hyunjin and Felix to finish their class to go home together. As a stream of students left the classroom, Jisung felt Chan grab his hand and Jisung unwillingly smiled, even though he knew Chan did it to ease his anxiety. <em> Or did he?  </em></p><p> </p><p>They finally saw Hyunjin and Felix appearing, surrounded by people who only seemed interested in the taller of the two. </p><p> </p><p>"Hyunjin! Felix!" Changbin yelled to greet them. </p><p> </p><p>"Huh, who are these guys—" One girl began. "Wait— aren't these your roommates?" </p><p> </p><p>"Which one of you hurt Hyunjin?!" Another girl yelled. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What? Did Hyunjin tell them?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Stop, please. It's not that bad—" Hyunjin interfered, he seemed a little panicked. </p><p> </p><p>"No, don't dismiss your feelings, Hyunjin!" Another girl said and turned to them. "He has been sad and out of it all week! Who of you—" </p><p> </p><p>"Stop! Please, it wasn't all his fault." Hyunjin stopped her. "I was at fault too, and that was also one of the reasons that I was sad."</p><p> </p><p>"But—"</p><p> </p><p>"Please, you don't even know what happened. Don't make him feel guilty." Hyunjin looked at the girl with pleading eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay… Whatever. If you want that." The girl grumbled. "You're too nice, Hyunjin, it's not fair." </p><p> </p><p>"Well, see you later, then." The other girls said and shot the rest and angry look. </p><p> </p><p>As soon as they were gone, Hyunjin began frantically apologizing to Seungmin. </p><p> </p><p>"No, Hyunjin, it's my fault." Felix intervened. "Seungmin, <em> I </em>told them he had had a fight with one of his roommates. Uhm, I thought that would make them back off because Hyunjin didn't want to say anything and they kept asking." </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm…" Seungmin seemed a bit taken aback. "It's okay, you didn't know they would do this." </p><p> </p><p>"They didn't make you feel guilty, right?" Hyunjin asked, he looked like he blamed himself. "I'm sorry." </p><p> </p><p>Jisung felt bad for both of them, he hoped Hyunjin didn't feel forced to apologize now and Seungmin didn't feel guilty. The latter did look a little conflicted. </p><p> </p><p>"It's okay." He just said. "Thanks for stopping them." </p><p> </p><p>"Of course." Hyunjin breathed, barely audible. </p><p> </p><p>They started walking and Jisung realized he was still holding Chans hand. <em> Should I pretend not to notice? </em>As he thought that, he involuntarily stroked his thumb over the back of the others hand. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, sorry." Chan quickly let go and looked around him if anyone saw. </p><p> </p><p><em> Oh yeah, people would think certain things if they saw us. </em>Jisung pouted a little, he liked holding hands with people, but apparently platonic hand holding was something people tended to interpret differently. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>A little later he felt Chans hand brush his again, their fingers touching. He looked at the other and saw a little smile on his face. <em> So it was on purpose? </em> Jisung felt a grin tug at his lips, <em> I hope it was </em>. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Guys, I have a proposal." Jisung announced at dinner. "We're all working hard for our exams, so I think we all deserve a break. We all deserve to have some fun." </p><p> </p><p>"I agree." Jeongin said. </p><p> </p><p>"Me too!" Felix added, <em> great idea, Sungie!  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Everyone in for that?" Chan asked. "I guess I can make one evening free to have fun." </p><p> </p><p>The rest agreed, some more eagerly than others, but everyone agreed. <em> Good, this dorm can use some cheering up, </em>Felix thought. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, what did you have in mind?" </p><p> </p><p>"Good question my good sir Lee Minho, I had thought it would be entertaining to have a game night." Jisung put on a gentlemans voice, eliciting snickers from a few of his friends. </p><p> </p><p>"And what kind of games?" </p><p> </p><p>"Another good question from Lee Felix in the corner over there, it seems as though the Lees are playing exceptionally well tonight." Jisungs voice changed to a sports announcer and Hyunjin let out a cackle. "In my expertise, the best strategy right now would be to begin with a game of maffia, and we switch the settings up." </p><p> </p><p>"The settings?" </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, Seo Changbin decides to inquire further, good move. You see, the <em> setting </em>is usually 'maffia'," Jisung air quoted the word 'maffia'. "but one can think of other settings, like what if instead of civilians and maffia, you have two rivaling biker gangs? And every 'night' they do a race, but the 'maffia' push someone off their motorbike, and you don't know of course who the maffia is, because you have to keep your eyes on the road." </p><p> </p><p>Felix burst out in laughter along with his friends, Jisung really knew how to lift a mood. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh! And the doctor is like a repair guy, who can repair your bike!" Jeongin excitedly brought in. "And the cop is, uhm, a, uhm—" </p><p> </p><p>"The cop has side view mirrors to see the brand of motorbike of course, but he can only look once per ride, gotta keep those eyes on the road, right?" Jisung added, making everyone laugh again. </p><p> </p><p>So they played, Jisung obviously being the mc first, and Felix was glad to hear so much laughter. The second round Minho was the mc, and he chose the setting ‘fruit bowl’, with bananas as the maffia because they make fruit rot faster. He forgot everyones roles during, though, so it all became chaotic. </p><p> </p><p>After Jeongin had tried to be the mc and another round of Jisung as the mc, they decided to play another game.</p><p> </p><p>“We could play superlatives?” Felix suggested. “So, we ask a question like ‘who is most blank’ or something like that and we point to who we think fits that description?”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds good!” Chan agreed. “But let’s not do mean stuff, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course.” The rest nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Then I’ll begin.” Felix bounced, he was all excited because of the maffia games. “Uhm, this is a hard one, but who here do you go to first when you have a problem or there’s something on your mind?”</p><p> </p><p>He saw his friends look around and think. <em> I started with a hard one, didn’t I? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Three, two, one… point!”</p><p> </p><p>Felix quickly pointed at Chan, and looked around to see Jisung and Minho do the same. Changbin and Hyunjin pointed at each other, and Jeongin and Seungmin pointed at each other. Weirdly enough Chan pointed at himself.</p><p> </p><p>“Chan, what the hell?” Changbin asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah… I panicked, I don’t really know because I don’t really like burdening you guys with my problems…” The eldest mumbled. “But I’m glad you guys trust me with your problems.”</p><p> </p><p>“Channie!” Jisung whined. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe he’s so good at giving advice that he doesn’t need anyone else.” Hyunjin joked.</p><p> </p><p>“Doubt it.” Minho laughed. “Just talk to anyone, Channie. Depending on the problem you can pick! If it’s problems in the love department you know uncle Minho can always help you, if you need some tips on how to be funny Jisungs available, if you need tips on how to clean your room there’s Seungmin—”</p><p> </p><p>Minho was interrupted by a shove from Seungmin, but Seungmin still had a smile on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Kidding! Kidding, I heard Seungmin can give some good life advice.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, he does.” Jeongin nodded. “I don’t always understand it, but it’s the thought that matters.”</p><p> </p><p>“Maybe I should reconsider who I go to with my problems, Binnie always says ‘how should I know?’ when I ask for advice.” Hyunjin snickered, earning a shove from the short boy. “Kidding! He’s a good listener and an open person.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix couldn’t seem to stop smiling at his friends both being sweet and roasting each other at the same time, and this was only the first question.</p><p> </p><p>“Should the rest state their reason too?” Jeongin asked, eyeing Seungmin.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, we’re going to make it a sappy night? Sure.” Minho smiled. “I chose Channie because he listens well and gives good advice, and because Jisung and I can’t be serious with each other.”</p><p> </p><p>“Me too!” Felix nodded. “Well, not the Jisung reason.”</p><p> </p><p>“Same here.” Jisung agreed. “But with the Jisung reason.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I chose Hyunjin because, uhm, well, he has been the only person I can really talk to for a long time.” Changbin began. “And he knows and understands my struggles, and even though he doesn’t always knows the solutions to my problems, he always supports me and offers hugs and stuff.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Aww… Hyunjin is a sweetie, huh?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“And me?” Jeongin looked intensely at Seungmin, who rolled his eyes with a grin on his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Because I know you don’t judge, whatever it is, and you manage to make me smile again usually.”</p><p> </p><p>Jeongin shot back with a surprised look, he probably didn’t expect such a serious answer.</p><p> </p><p>“...and sometimes I need someone to, like, yell at me and tell me I’m dumb or something.” Seungmin added, laughing, but Felix imagined he was serious. “Or I need to see an ugly face to cheer me up.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Okay, that wasn’t serious. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“<em> You </em>are ugly.” Jeongin shot back, grinning. “Well, I know the next question, who is the most childish? Three, two, one…”</p><p> </p><p>Felix panicked and pointed to Seungmin, because he knew Jeongin was implying that. Jeongin, of course, did the same, but he also pointed to Chan just like Jisung, and Minho only pointed to Chan. Hyunjin and Changbin pointed at each other again, Seungmin voted for Jeongin, and Chan voted for himself again.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I see, you can also vote for two people?” Minho said. “I voted for Chan because I knew people would vote for Seungmin, and I thought it was necessary that Chans childishness would be highlighted too.”</p><p> </p><p>“I voted for Jeongin because he asked this question.” Seungmin explained.</p><p> </p><p>“And I think it’s clear why we voted for you.” </p><p> </p><p>“And I agree that I’m childish.” </p><p> </p><p>Felix couldn’t help but laugh at the seriousness in Seungmins voice as he said that.</p><p> </p><p>“And why did you two vote for each other?” Chan asked, looking at Hyunjin and Changbin.</p><p> </p><p>“Am <em> I </em>childish?” Hyunjin looked fake offended.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I panicked and chose you because you’re naive.” Changbin said and turned to the rest. “He’s very naive, and also sensitive, like a kid.”</p><p> </p><p>“Isn’t that good?” Felix asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh definitely. It’s one of my favorite things about Hyunjin. It makes him teasable, but…” Changbins eyes shot to Seungmin for a split second. “it also means that he always tend to think the best of people, and he attaches to people easily, and that’s good most of the time, but it can also hurt him, and sometimes he forgets other people aren’t as clingy as him or me…”</p><p> </p><p>It was silent for a moment, the atmosphere growing a little heavier.</p><p> </p><p>“Anyway—” Hyunjin cut through the silence. “Changbin is childish because he’s a baby. He needs his attention, otherwise he’ll get whiny, well— he’s <em> always </em>whiny, but you get it.”</p><p> </p><p>The tall dancer quickly got back to snickering while teasing his short friend, who already began whining, Hyunjin showing him off, saying ‘see?’.</p><p> </p><p>“And I think Chan voted for himself both because it’s true, and because he didn’t want to vote for someone else.” Felix laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, you can vote for Seungmin, Chan. He’s proud of his childishness.” Jeongin said while Seungmin pushed him around, making ‘gahhh’ sounds. “By the way, don’t be afraid to choose us, Hyunjin and Changbin, you can just be honest with your impressions, although I think you’ve been honest up to now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I think it’s easier to choose each other because we know each other, but you guys can choose us too.” Changbin nodded.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! I know a question!” Minho put his hand up. “Who left the strongest first impression on you?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Oh, this is a hard one… </em>Minho let everyone think for a second and then started to count down. </p><p> </p><p>“Three, two, one… point!”</p><p> </p><p>Felix pointed at Hyunjin, and saw Jeongin and Seungmin do the same, Jisung pointed at Minho, Changbin pointed at Jisung, Minho and Chan pointed at Changbin, and Hyunjin pointed at him. <em> Oh, me? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Hahahaha, only Jisung chose someone other than Hyunjin or Changbin.” Minho laughed. “Well, these two <em> did </em>leave a strong impression immediately.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, I’ll explain first then.” Jisung said. “It’s not that interesting, but Minho just immediately acted like everyone was his friend from the second we all met each other, so that left a big impression on me. Changbin and Hyunjin had a big impression too, though.”</p><p> </p><p>Minho smiled self-satisfied. “Well, I chose Changbin because he looked like, all dark and stuff when he came in, but was already whining, and then we were told he was, like, sick-rich, and he said he wanted to be free from his parents, so I thought we might be a little similar.”</p><p> </p><p>“I chose Changbin because I was impressed by his writing skills.” Chan said and Jisung nodded. “And of course his background helped.”</p><p> </p><p>“I chose Hyunjin because he wanted to eat lobster.” Felix laughed at his own silly reason. “Oh! And because his dancing was so different from Minhos and mine.”</p><p> </p><p>“Same! Well— about the lobster.” Jeongin crawled over to give him a high five. “And because he’s good looking, ahahah. But don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate someones looks without wanting to date them.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin chuckled a bit awkwardly. “Please don’t remind me of my blunders when we first met…”</p><p> </p><p>“And Seungmin?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, yeah, same as Jeongin and Felix I guess?” Seungmins cheeks were a little red. “Uhm, and— this wasn’t really a <em> first </em>impression, but when we bumped into each other the first day at the uni left an impression on me too, uhm, and the time I braided his hair— anyway he left a lot of impressions, I guess.”</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly Felix got a little sad. <em> How sad that they fought, when they left so many impressions on each other… Well </em> — <em> it can still get better, a fight is not the end of the world, maybe </em> because <em> they left such strong impressions they can get over this. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Ah… more embarrassing moments— although, the braiding was fun...” Hyunjin scratched his neck. “But yeah those things left a strong impression on me too, but I chose Felix because he was so excited about me being a second year dancer and about my dance, which was a breath of fresh air compared to people who usually focus on my looks. But! I don’t blame anyone who thinks I left a strong impression because of my looks, you can’t really help that, I guess?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin fumbled a little with his hands, he didn’t seem to like implying that he was handsome himself, and Felix understood that.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, and I chose Jisung because he was so shy at first, but as soon as we began talking about music with Chan, he seemed to be over that.” Changbin laughed. “But then he went back to shy again, haha.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They asked more questions and went between teasing and complimenting each other in record times, and eventually went to bed tired, but with a much more relieved mood than they would have otherwise.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>That night, however, Seungmin didn’t sleep as well as he had hoped. He felt a lot more relieved and had fallen asleep quickly, but he had suddenly jolted awake from a dream about Hyunjin. The dream had quickly slipped away from him after he had woken up, but he remembered it was about Hyunjin, and it that it gave him a bittersweet feeling. </p><p>He thought back at the games, and about his impressions of Hyunjin. <em> He really is a naive boy, isn’t he? But that means he probably always means well… And he had been so sweet and </em> not <em> possessive when he tried to help me with my feelings…  </em></p><p>At the thought of feelings, he involuntarily thought about their kiss. Seungmin shook his head into his pillow. <em>Don’t think about this now! That definitely won’t help you sleep. </em>He sighed into his pillow. <em>Everything is confusing… </em></p><p> </p><p>Luckily his fatigue from the busy week lulled him back to sleep eventually, and he was able to sleep in because he didn’t have morning classes. </p><p> </p><p>When he entered the living room in the morning, he saw Hyunjin eating breakfast at the table too. <em> Ah so he has no class either?  </em></p><p> </p><p>“Good morning sleepyhead.” Jeongin greeted him. “I made too much breakfast so please help yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, thanks…” Seungmin mumbled, still waking up. “I’ll help myself after a shower…”</p><p> </p><p>As he stepped into the shower he began thinking again. <em> Maybe this is a good opportunity to talk to Hyunjin, but what will I say? We’ll see, it depends on what he does too… </em>Seungmin shook his head, somehow thinking about this made him feel weird.</p><p> </p><p>When he entered the living room again and grabbed some breakfast from the fridge, he noticed Hyunjin looking at him.</p><p> </p><p>“Can we maybe talk, Seungmin?” The slightly taller boy asked before Seungmin could. “Uhm, when you’re done with eating of course.”</p><p> </p><p><em> He wants to talk too? </em>Seungmin sat down across from Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p>“We can talk now too.” He said. Waiting any longer would only make him think more, and he was done with that. Maybe Hyunjin could help him clear up the weird feeling he had. <em> Then he’ll help me again with my feelings, what a coincidence. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Oh, uhm, sure.” Hyunjin chuckled. “I mean, I can talk while you eat, yeah.”</p><p> </p><p>The dancer cleared his throat and waited a second before he continued.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, I realized that I hadn’t apologized for not acknowledging the fact that you had done your best to show me that you, uhm, had liked me…” He began, not looking at Seungmin. “And I want to say sorry for that because I guess I was a little insecure about whether you liked me or not, and I guess that’s one of the reasons why I demanded so much from you… Not that that makes things better, no it doesn’t, but I thought you might want to know why I did it, because I’ll try to work on it.</p><p> </p><p>And also, uhm, because of our stay at home date I guess I expected more to happen, so that was indeed my fault. You were right that I didn’t completely do it for you, because of my own feelings I only thought about how <em> I </em>would act if I liked someone and I didn’t take into account that for you it would be different. Well— that was when I didn’t know you were actually working on a surprise, so maybe I should’ve been more patient—”</p><p> </p><p>“Hyunjin stop.”</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin couldn’t listen to this anymore. <em> You are an idiot did you know that, Seungmin? Stupidstupidstupidstupid! An absolute idiot! </em></p><p> </p><p>“Please, <em> I </em> am the one at wrong.” He said, trying to keep his breathing and mind calm. “ <em> I </em>was unfair to you by expecting you to just trust me while I kept things from you, didn’t explain to you why I didn’t want you to join me and Changbin while I could’ve just told you that I had a surprise for you.”</p><p> </p><p>He took a deep breath before continuing. </p><p> </p><p>“The only thing you wanted was a sign that I liked you, that I wasn’t scared off by the date or by our kiss. <em> I </em> knew that you liked me while you were just waiting for an answer from me, and I kept it from you. And on top of that I said hurtful things to you because I was too prideful to admit that I was working on a surprise or something, I don’t know. So <em> I </em> am sorry. I acted like a fucking asshole to you, and <em> I </em>was the one demanding too much from you while I gave you nothing.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin looked at him with big eyes. He looked like he didn’t know what to say. <em> Of course he doesn’t. I can’t expect him to just forgive me right now, especially not after I realized so late. </em></p><p> </p><p>“You don’t have to say anything Hyunjin. Thank you for your apology too. I forgive you.” Seungmin had to stop himself from getting too worked up. “And I’ll try to make things up to you, really, uhm, I don’t know how yet, but I will try.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin sighed and gave him a little smile. <em> Huh? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Seungmin.” He said. “I appreciate it.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy stood up and looked at his phone. “Ah, time to go to class. Bye guys.”</p><p> </p><p>As Hyunjin grabbed his stuff and left their dorm room, Seungmin looked at him feeling a little bewildered. <em> Maybe the weird feeling that I felt was just guilt for being such an asshole to such a sweet person… He always manages to make my mind go blank, doesn’t he?  </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The maffia games were inspired by a time I played it with a few friends, (but here it's called 'werewolves' and you have way more kinds of roles than maffia, doctor and police, and it's a little different, but yeah :))<br/>and djxgfkn I always have the need to resolve things soon jfgnjdf (well it's not that soon and it's not completely resolved, but yeah)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Please come to sleep</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jisung grabbed his hand, and Chan saw his eyes shine in the laptop-light. "I'm not going to bed until you do." </p><p> </p><p>The younger softly pulled on his hands to get him to stand up and follow him. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung—" </p><p> </p><p>"Chan. Please."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A whole chapter of Chan being tired,<br/>Minho realizes things</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chan had difficulty staying awake during class, maybe he had been sleeping even less than he usually did, but he also blamed the professors monotone way of speaking. It was two weeks until the showcase and Chan had been working hard on perfecting the songs and studying for his other exams. <em> At least Hyunjin and Seungmin are getting along better... </em></p><p> </p><p>“Chan? You awake?” </p><p> </p><p>Chan shot up. <em> Did I fall asleep? </em></p><p> </p><p>“Chan, how tired are you?” Changbin laughed. “I get that you’re working hard on the finishing touches of songs because I’m not good at that, but please don’t overwork yourself.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, it’s fine, I always do this.” Chan waved a hand. He wanted the songs to be perfect for the showcase, after all, this project was really important.</p><p> </p><p>“Hmm, that doesn’t necessarily make me feel better, but I remember you said you were more stubborn than Jisung, so I think I’m not the one to convince you.” Changbin shrugged and began packing his things. “Anyway, just don’t do it for me, I’m already happy with the songs.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan just hummed in response, <em> we’ll see what I still need to do.  </em></p><p> </p><p>As they left the classroom, they saw Minho waiting for them and they waved at each other.</p><p> </p><p>“Ready for more dancing, my boys?” Minho greeted them.</p><p> </p><p>“Ugh… I’m still sore from yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, and—” Changbin whined, but was interrupted by Minhos hand firmly gripping his shoulder, eliciting a squeak and groan from the shorter boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Then you need to stretch better, Binnie~” Minho singsonged teasingly, massaging Changbins shoulder firmly while the shorter boy groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Changbin! Is that guy harassing you?”</p><p> </p><p>The three turned around to see a classmate standing behind them, pointing at Minho. The dancer quickly removed his hand from Changbins shoulder and his expression turned blank.</p><p> </p><p>“What? No. He’s my group mate— and my <em> friend </em>.” Changbin defended.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah?” The guy came closer to Changbin and lowered his voice. “Don’t be afraid to report him if he does something, the actions taken are serious so you—”</p><p> </p><p>“I just said he’s my friend!” Changbin cut him off. “And I’m serious. He wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh. Okay, if that’s what you think.” The guy shrugged. “I would just be cautious, he <em> has </em>harassed someone before in a group project, so…”</p><p> </p><p>With that, their classmate left, and Chan looked at Minho to still see a blank expression on his face. During the time they had known each other, Chan had learned to distinguish different kinds of blank expressions, and this one meant he was suppressing a negative emotion.</p><p> </p><p>“Gosh, can people mind their own business for once in their lives?” Changbin sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, he was just looking out for you.” Minho shrugged lifelessly. “I mean, people really think I had harassed that guy, and maybe I even did without noticing, just like I almost—”</p><p> </p><p>“Minho." Chan cut him off. "I had seen the guy, you didn't harass him. He was just homophobic. If you had harassed him he would have told you before you told him you liked him. He was just grossed out by the idea of you liking him." </p><p> </p><p>Minho sighed. "I guess yeah, sorry." </p><p> </p><p>"No. Don't apologize." Changbin shook his head. "Gosh, it's not fair that you constantly have to be careful around and apologize to people because you happen to like guys. It just doesn't make sense and it makes me really angry." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin stomped a little on the ground and it was kind of cute if Chan was honest. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho." The short boy suddenly turned to the dancer. "You know you don't have to be careful around me, right? You can give me hugs, you can grab my shoulder, hell— you can even guide me with the dance like you did that day, because you did it with good intentions and I stated my boundaries and you respected them."</p><p> </p><p>"Changbin—" Minho began. </p><p> </p><p>"Changbin! There you are!" </p><p> </p><p>Chan recognized another classmate waving at them. <em> What do they want now?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Didn't you have an appointment now?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbins eyes widened. "Oh shit! Totally forgot. Sorry guys, now I <em> really </em>have an appointment, but it won't take too long! Gotta run!" </p><p> </p><p>The short boy ran away and Chan and Minho snickered at the clumsiness. </p><p> </p><p>They walked towards the dance room and Chan noticed there was something on Minhos mind. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho—" </p><p> </p><p>"Chan, I think I have a crush on Changbin." </p><p> </p><p>Chans mouth fell open. <em> Did I hear that right? Well, it's not </em> that <em> surprising.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I know you go to me for advice, but I don't know if I can really help you with this…" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Especially not when I feel this tired.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"But I <em> can </em> listen. Maybe that helps." He offered, <em> if I don’t fall asleep accidentally again </em>. </p><p> </p><p>"Just— he's— did you hear what he said?" Minho sat down on the floor and sighed. "Why do I always like the ones I don't stand a chance with?" </p><p> </p><p>"You don't know that for sure." Chan sat down next to him. </p><p> </p><p>"Pfft— He's friends with Hyunjin, if he likes guys we'd know it, right?" </p><p> </p><p>"And I'm friends with you, but I still took a while before I accepted it." Chan said. "And Changbin has his parents who have been in his way the whole time." </p><p> </p><p>"Oh yeah his parents…" Minho laid down. "<em> If </em> he even likes guys <em> and </em>he somehow likes me, his parents hate me. Even without him liking guys they hate me!" </p><p> </p><p>The dancer perked up again. "Wait— you said you accepted it— does that mean you like Jisung?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan felt heat rise to his head, feeling exposed. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, yeah… I do… But— that's not what we're talking about right now." He was too tired to talk about it now. "Anyway, since when do you care what people think of you?" </p><p> </p><p>"Since Changbins parents can give him a heck of a hard time because of me." Minho sighed. "I mean— he said that hypothetically he would date me if we would happen to like each other, but I don't know if he has ever rebelled <em> that </em>much against his parents." </p><p> </p><p>"He said that? Wow." Chan had a hard time processing things today. "It seems like he really wants to be free, but I get that you'd still feel guilty if his parents give him a hard time. I guess all we can do is see what happens." </p><p> </p><p>Minho hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I guess." </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>"Okay, let's stop early again, I see Chan is tired." Minho clapped his hands to signal the end of their practice. "And to be quite honest, I'm tired too." </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm. Same." Changbin yawned and stretched himself. </p><p> </p><p>"Good idea, Bin, let's stretch a little before we go." Minho started stretching too. </p><p> </p><p>Chan joined them and lazily stretched himself, almost falling asleep again when he let his upper body hang down. </p><p> </p><p>When they came home and one by one took a shower, Chan fell asleep in the shower, almost slipping and falling down. <em> Oh god, be careful Chan.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Is everything okay in there?" Chan heard Minho yell. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, just fell asleep for a second!" He yelled back. </p><p> </p><p>When he exited the bathroom he was met with concerned faces. Chan sighed, <em> here we go.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"You'll go to bed early tonight, right?" Seungmin asked. </p><p> </p><p>"I mean, I'll try of course, but we have an exam next week and the practicals of the second year students we want to see of course, so I still need to do some things." Chan said and quickly continued before the protests started. "But! As I said, I'll try to go to bed early. I just want to finish this one song today." </p><p> </p><p>"You want me to help?" Changbin offered. "I mean, I can give my opinion." </p><p> </p><p>Chan nodded. <em> Maybe we'll be done sooner then.  </em></p><p> </p><p>At dinner Chan saw that everyone was tired, luckily the weekend was approaching and there was no tense atmosphere anymore. It wasn't like Hyunjin and Seungmin were <em> fully </em>back to normal, they were still a little hesitant around each other, but Chan saw that every time their eyes met Hyunjin was quick to give a smile which made the other smile as well. </p><p> </p><p>After that, Chan and Changbin worked on the song for the rest of the evening. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, Chan, but I don't hear what's missing. I think it sounds fine." Changbin sighed and leaned his head on his hand. He seemed tired, eyes falling closed now and then. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, but fine isn't good enough, I know I can do better." Chan did his best to give a smile. "You seem tired. You can go to bed and I'll try to finish it up." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah?" Changbin yawned. "Okay, yeah I'm really tired, but you should go to sleep soon too. As I said, it sounds fine, and else we'll look at it tomorrow." </p><p> </p><p>Chan just hummed in response and they wished each other good night. <em> Okay, now what is missing?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan tried and tried different things, but nothing sounded right. He also may have fallen asleep a few times, but he quickly woke up with a start again as soon as he realized it. <em> Wait, what time is it? </em> He got his laptop from slumber mode, but before he could check the time he heard a flushing sound come from the bathroom. He turned around to see a small and slim figure. <em> Jisung?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Hmm?" Jisung looked towards the light that came from Chans laptop. "Channie you're still working?" </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, yeah. I'm almost done, though." Chan half-lied. "There's just this one thing missing and—" </p><p> </p><p>"Chan." Jisung cut him off. "Please go to bed. It's <em> really </em>late." </p><p> </p><p>"I'll come in a minute, I just need to finish this song—" </p><p> </p><p>"Channie—" </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung." Chan sighed out of fatigue. "I planned to finish this song today so I can study for my exam in the weekend." </p><p> </p><p>"But it's obviously not working right now, and if you do this all night, you won't be able to—" </p><p> </p><p>"Sungie. Just go to bed, I'm used to—" </p><p> </p><p>"No!" Jisung grabbed his hand, and Chan saw his eyes shine in the laptop-light. "I'm not going to bed until you do." </p><p> </p><p>The younger softly pulled on his hands to get him to stand up and follow him. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung—" </p><p> </p><p>"Chan. Please." Jisungs voice was wavering. </p><p> </p><p><em> Oh no, is he crying? </em>A sob escaped from the others lips to confirm it. </p><p> </p><p>"Wh— why are you crying?" Chan felt panic rise in his chest and tears form in his eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"I— I'm just tired— and worried." Jisung said in between shaky breaths. "You've been sleeping less all week, and— I didn't want to say anything because— I know how you are, but I can't watch this anymore." </p><p> </p><p>He pulled Chan into an embrace. "Please come to sleep." </p><p> </p><p>Chan couldn't say no to that. <em> Maybe I've been pushing myself a little too hard.  </em></p><p>He let Jisung softly sob into his shoulder as he felt his own tears of fatigue fall down his cheeks. He pulled Jisung closer so that the younger sat on his lap, and stroked his back. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry, Sungie." Chan whispered and tucked his head in the nook of the others shoulder, feeling sleep wash over him. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Chan woke up from movement on top of him. <em> Huh…? Where am I? I'm lying down?  </em></p><p>He slowly opened his eyes to look right into Jisungs. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, sorry. Did I wake you up?" Jisung whispered. </p><p> </p><p>Chan looked around to see that they were in the bedroom, lying on his bed, and judging from the fact that there was no one else, it was well into the morning. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but it's okay." Chan mumbled, his ears already felt hot. <em> Had he laid on top of me the whole night?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah, I'll get off you." Jisungs cheeks looked red as well. "Uhm, you fell asleep hugging me and I managed to get you into bed, but I didn't trust you completely so I thought if I laid on top of you, you wouldn't go back to work." </p><p> </p><p>Chan chuckled and stood up as well, brushing his hands against the youngers. "Thanks. I feel a lot better now that I have actually slept." </p><p> </p><p>It had become a habit for Chan to reach for Jisungs hands and play with his fingers. He hadn't intended for it to become a habit, but Jisung never seemed to mind so he now did it unconsciously. Only when he heard Jisung give a light chuckle he became aware of what he was doing. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." He said, also out of habit. "Let's go have some breakfast." </p><p><br/>
He slowly let go of the youngers hands and walked out of the bedroom. <em> Should I tell him about my feelings one time? Probably, but not now. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Inspiration for my dance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin shook his head and focused on Hyunjin instead, who, just before he started his dance, looked him right in the eyes. Seungmins breath hitched and he was taken on a journey by Hyunjins emotional dance. He didn’t know much about dance, but he could feel what Hyunjin felt, he could feel frustration, sadness, and hesitation, but towards he could feel that there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some showcases, and the start of THE showcase<br/>Seungmin is done with people<br/>Happy bin day!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>That went well. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin felt a wave of relief wash over him. He and Jeongin just finished a practical exam, and he usually didn’t have much stage fright, but still, it was an exam so there were some nerves involved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Great job guys!” Chan clapped excitedly as Seungmin and Jeongin reunited with him, Minho, Changbin and Jisung. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately Hyunjin and Felix couldn’t come to watch because they were preparing for their own practical exam, and Seungmin was kind of bummed out by that. Chan had filmed it so the two dancers could watch it back later, but still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin pouted a little as they walked towards where their two friends would have their practicals. They were early so they could stand a bit at the front so the crowd wouldn’t be as suffocating for Jisung. When Jisung was stressed, his anxiety would act up sooner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The hip hop dancers would go first, and Seungmin heard Minho jokingly rate the dancers, or state names of the moves which Seungmin thought Minho must have made up himself, because he wouldn’t believe there were moves like ‘the pinapple cutter’, or ‘the lizards left leg’. Felix obviously slayed his dance, and Minho gave him a two thousand out of ten.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In the short break between the hip hop dancers and modern dancers they excitedly greeted Felix and overloaded him with compliments.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys! It wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>good.” Felix laughed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was!!!!” Everyone immediately yelled back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, if Minho gave </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>a two thousand out of ten then I think he’ll give Hyunjin an infinity out of ten.” Felix said. “He told me that when he had to improvise something and dance from his emotions during class like a week or two ago, his teacher said if he could make a choreography out of it, she would love to see it here! And I saw it. It’s, like, wow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really, you have seen it?” Changbin asked it. “I only heard about it, but Hyunjins really good at putting his emotions into something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin and Jeongin shared a brief look, </span>
  <em>
    <span>would it be about… the fight? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He thought about asking it, but decided that </span>
  <em>
    <span>if </span>
  </em>
  <span>he would, he would ask Hyunjin directly. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The audience slowly quieted down as the first dancer showed up. Minho was still whispering weird comments, and now Seungmin was sure he was making up half of it, Minho wouldn’t know </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>much about modern dance. He shot a quick look at Jisung who fortunately was immersed in the performance and not in the busy crowd surrounding him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When it was Hyunjins turn, the whispers in the crowd got louder and more abundant.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s that handsome guy you were talking about? Damn he’s handsome indeed!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, I wish he would date me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s not fair that his parents are, like, reserving him! What a waste of such a handsome guy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, all those girls willing to give him anything he would want…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin had to restrain himself from looking back with an exasperated look. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is this really how they treat Hyunjin? </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew a bit of it from how he was approached during the breaks at the beginning of the year and from how Hyunjin sometimes complained that they only focused on his looks and not on his dance, but Seungmin always thought Hyunjin exaggerated a little because he’s a little dramatic. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It seems he was actually understating…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shook his head and focused on Hyunjin instead, who, just before he started his dance, looked him right in the eyes. Seungmins breath hitched and he was taken on a journey by Hyunjins emotional dance. He didn’t know much about dance, but he could feel what Hyunjin felt, he could feel frustration, sadness, and hesitation, but towards he could feel that there seemed to be some light at the end of the tunnel. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Hyunjins performance was done, they all began clapping. Seungmin found Hyunjins eyes and tried to communicate how good it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unfortunately now that Seungmin didn’t have Hyunjins dancing to get lost in, he heard the comments again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh man, he’s all sweaty now, I’m swooning…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His slender body is so sexy, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And his eyes!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin turned around, he couldn’t listen to this anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“His dancing was great wasn’t it? I really felt the emotion and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hard work </span>
  </em>
  <span>he put into it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls behind him gave him a startled and confused look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I didn’t really get that. His looks are very distracting am I right?” One of them said, making the others laugh. “I’m sure his dancing was fine, but he doesn’t really need it with those looks.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god, do you know how invalidating it is to work hard on something and have everyone focus on something completely different?!” Seungmin snapped, getting the attention of his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, we complimented him, right? I mean— I get that you don’t see how handsome he is, but wouldn’t you totally swoon over a gorgeous girl dancing like this? I mean, it’s not like we’re totally ignoring his dance. He’s very attractive when he dances.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin opened his mouth again to tell them how ridiculous they were being, but he was stopped by a hand on his arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s no use." Minho whispered. "You can't force them to focus on his dance more." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shook Minhos hand off and turned to the girls again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You're dancers, right? Well, if you enjoy watching beautiful dances, maybe pay some more attention to Hyunjins. You're really missing out." He gave a forced smile and turned back to the podium where the next dancer already stood. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh damn, tell 'em, Seungmin." Jeongin gave a low whistle. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>After every modern dancer was done, they met Hyunjin and showered him with compliments as they had done with Felix. Seungmin even had the courage to give him a good hug, he thought the other deserved it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You were amazing." Seungmin said once more, giving Hyunjin a squeeze before he let go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, thank you guys. I hope the professors think so too!" Hyunjin chuckled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Hyunjin!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin turned around to see a group of girls, he recognized some. He shot them a hostile look and they seemed to be startled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Good. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm— you were great just then! Uhm, I didn't really see the dance that well, y'know, being distracted by your gorgeous face, but others, uhm, seemed to think your dance was great!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And you looked breathtaking!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin shot them another look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Anyway— just wanted to say that! Bye!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The girls hurried away again and Seungmin turned back with a smug smile. They at least mentioned his dance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, wow. People thought my dancing was good?" Hyunjin had such a great smile on his face, Seungmin would want to take a photo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I think they were afraid of Seungmin." Minho laughed. "He told some girls that they were missing out on good dance if they only looked at your appearance." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You did?" Hyunjins eyes sparkled somehow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I mean, they were only talking about your looks and it was bothering me that they didn't see how well you danced and how hard you must've worked." Seungmin explained. "I see now how frustrating it must be all the time, I'm amazed you've handled it so well up till now." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh wow, thank you Seungmin." Hyunjin blushed. "I mean, they mean well mostly, so I can ignore it, and it's not like they often say things to me directly, so I can't really ask them to focus on my dancing." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But Seungmin did! Let's hope it helped." Changbin said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Even if it doesn't, I appreciate it." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was that smile again, the smile where Hyunjins eyes were squished together by his cheeks and formed little crescents, and Seungmin suddenly felt a little overwhelmed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why did I ever think he would mean harm to me? Be possessive or selfish? How could I have ever forgotten about the way he was patient and careful with me when I asked him to help me figure out my feelings? How could I have thought that after one kiss he would suddenly be different? I abused his naivety and now he's nice to me again after I have barely done anything to make it up to him. I don't deserve him—</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Seungmin?" Changbin pulled him out of his thoughts. "You coming?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, sorry!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin caught up to the rest with a little sprint. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You okay?" Hyunjin asked while they walked home. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, I was just thinking—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh yeah. The dance. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"—uhm, you don't have to answer, but Felix told us that your dance was inspired by your emotions, and, uhm, I wondered if it was about, uhm…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Our fight?" Hyunjin finished. "Uhm, my emotions were fueled by that… But I made it around the time right after it, and I don't know if you noticed, but the ending was a little happier, because we made up." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You say that like you've already forgiven me." Seungmin softly mumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have." Hyunjin smiled. "Are you mad that I used, uhm, you as inspiration for my dance?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wh—" Seungmin didn't even get the time to process that Hyunjin had forgiven him. "No, of course I'm not mad. I'm glad you could use the dance as an outlet, but it doesn't mean you have to forgive me already." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Huh? I don't understand, I think." Hyunjin tilted his head. "Why shouldn't I forgive you? You've apologized, you've been nice to me, you even told people that you they'd miss something if they didn't watch me dance! While I wasn't even there! I think I would be crazy not to forgive you for the things you said when you were tired and irritated."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hyunjin—" Seungmin began, although he didn't know yet what he wanted to say. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Hyunjin! Do you wanna see the videos of Jeongins and Seungmins performances?" Felix yelled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin looked at Seungmin with a questioning look. "Did you want to say something?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, no, uhm, you can go watch the videos." Seungmin chuckled and watched Hyunjin excitedly skip towards Felix and Chan. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yet again, Hyunjin had made his mind go blank. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you perhaps nervous, Bin?” Hyunjin asked when Changbin was frantically rapping to himself while lightly motioning the dance moves as they walked to the campus.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? No.” Changbin answered way too quickly. “Okay maybe I am, but don’t tell Minho or Chan.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes he was nervous, but who could blame him? He hadn’t seen his parents in three months and even though he pretended to go full rebel against them, he was nervous. His whole life he had been trying to please his parents, make them proud of him, and only when he had told them he had found that he was good at rapping, he started to defy them. He had never hidden the truth from them and he was afraid of how they would react when seeing him dance to hip hop and rap in almost every song. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least the lyrics aren’t vile, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he thought, that was one of the things he had going for him, his ability to write lyrics that his parents thought were beautiful as well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you afraid of what your parents will do?” Hyunjin asked, although he probably already knew the answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, but I’m especially afraid they will blame Minho and Chan.” Changbin nodded. “I’m afraid my parents will think that they forced me to do this or that because of their ‘bad influence’ I ‘think’ I want to do this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin hummed and nodded, leaning his chin on his hand. “I guess you’ll have to convince them that you agreed out of full free will. I’ll try to help, my parents said they’ll come, maybe they can help a little as well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hope…” Changbin sighed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, just focus on me or Felix or something when you perform, and forget about your parents until after.” Hyunjin pulled him into a quick hug. “See you later!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin waved the tall dancer goodbye and caught up with Minho and Chan to head to the backstage to get ready. They still had some time before the showcase would start, and during the break Jisung, Seungmin and Jeongin would join them to give everything one last one over, but you could never be prepared enough, right?</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next two chapters the continuations of THE showcase......</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Before we go punch some rich people</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Oh gosh honey, do you think Hyunjin is okay? Do you think he’s affected by those dancers too?” </p><p> </p><p>Okay, that’s our cue to go, Jeongin thought, before we go punch some rich people.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The shoowwcaassseee</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So, how are we feeling?” Chan asked as they warmed up and stretched. “I slept pretty well, actually. And all the songs came out well.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I have nothing to worry about either.” Minho agreed. “I mean, we practised so much so that everyone could memorize the dance well, and you two have to focus on singing and rapping a lot more than me. I think I can dance these dances in my sleep.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dancer laughed at his own comment, but Changbin had the feeling that he wasn’t as relaxed as he said. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe that’s just me projecting my own nerves onto him, though. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And for the ballad?” Changbin asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I think I can do that, yes. And I’m not judged on my singing, right?” Minho answered. “Wait— if I do badly, will you guys be punished?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, they’ll wonder why we let you do it, but I don’t think you’ll do badly.” Chan gave the dancer a reassuring pat. “They’ll understand if you have a bit of nerves on stage, when they hear the studio version they’ll understand why we let you sing that part.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Because you did amazing!” Changbin forgot about his nerves for a second when he thought about all the amazing songs they made. He was really proud of them all. “I can’t wait to perform them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Chan and Minho laughed at his enthusiasm and Chan joined him in jumping up and down excitedly in anticipation for the showcase.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my gosh I’m surrounded by seven year olds.” Minho grinned. “Let’s use that energy to practise a little more.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They did as Minho said, going over all the songs with either only Changbin and Chan or the song they did with the three of them until the other three arrived. Changbin totally lost track of time while practising, and before he knew it they were called to get ready to go on stage.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now his mind was free to wander to other things than how proud he was of their songs, it was free to wander to his parents again as he saw and heard a crowd appear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh wow it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>busy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Jisung noted. Indeed it was a lot busier than for the practical exams of the second year students as this was a big deal for the music producers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should I ask if you can stay backstage with us after the performance?” Chan whispered to the younger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung nodded and Chan walked away to find one of the teaching assistants. Meanwhile Changbin was already shaking on his legs, he had spotted his parents walking in and already looking around, probably judging everything they saw.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry Sungie, they said it would get too busy backstage if they let people other than the people that are officially part of the groups stay backstage after their performance.” Chan gave an apologetic smile and squeezed the others hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, I have Felix, Jeongin, Seungmin and Hyunjin with me, probably.” Jisung gave a smile back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’ll definitely have us by his side.” Seungmin agreed. “And if we can find our way through the crowd to the front it’ll be fine, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think so, yeah.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And if you need some air, don’t feel bad if you leave for a second.” Minho added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung nodded again with a little ‘thanks’ before they were ushered to be quiet for the first performers. Changbin looked towards the part of the crowd he could see again, and he saw his parents give the performers a judging look. The three groups that would perform today were chosen based on the fact that they all had hip hop dancers in them so that it would be convenient for their professors, so Changbins parents wouldn’t really enjoy it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Changbin swallowed nervously. They were the second group, but they all got forty-five minutes of performance time so he got some time to calm down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At least now they’ll be prepared for our performance, maybe they’ll even be happily surprised that our performance isn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>all </span>
  <em>
    <span>hip hop. Not that this one is… </span>
  </em>
  <span>Those thoughts didn’t really help him, and the fact that he saw his parents softly discuss something with each other also didn’t help.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly he felt a hand grab his, it was a soft and small hand, </span>
  <em>
    <span>that could only mean</span>
  </em>
  <span>— Changbin looked sideways to see that it indeed was Minho.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is this okay?” Minho asked. “Are those your parents?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah.” Changbin nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I thought so, but to be honest I’m a little bit nervous too and this always helps me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dancer softly squeezed his hand. That did help indeed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And it’s okay of course.” Changbin said, feeling his cheeks heat up for some reason.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They held hands for the rest of the performance of the first group and luckily Changbin had calmed a little when it was finally their turn. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoo!! Changbin!! Chan!! Minho!!” Hyunjin and Felix yelled when they entered the stage performing the intro they made while Minho danced. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After their intro, they shortly introduced themselves and the concept of their self-made album, and Changbin couldn’t help but notice that his parents were talking to other students while pointing at his group mates. He quickly shook his head and focused on explaining the first song they would be doing, the first song that Minho had choreographed a.k.a the song that would be the hardest to perform. He focused on all their practise-sessions and felt a little confidence rise in him. They stood ready in their spots and gave each other one last nod and smile, and the way his friends smiled gave him that last push to give his all for this performance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The first few songs seemed to go by in the blink of an eye, and Changbin couldn’t feel happier than he now was, performing the songs that he himself had made with his friends and setting his emotions free through his raps. He only focused on the excited way Hyunjin and Felix reacted to every song, and on the satisfied and proud smiles his friends gave him whenever a song had ended. He only focused on the way Hyunjin smiled at Seungmin as they sang the love song that he and Seungmin had helped write, contradicting the unsure and longing atmosphere the song contained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After the fight, it had been unsure if Seungmin still wanted to participate in the love song, or if they even had to change the whole song, but Seungmin had said he didn’t want to give them more work. Now, though, Changbin thought Seungmin might be glad that they didn’t change anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only when he introduced the ballad and it’s message, Changbin briefly looked at his parents to symbolize that he was talking to </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Unfortunately he didn’t see anything from their expressions that told him that they understood that it was directed to them. When they sang and danced, he could hear everyone pour their heart into the song. He thought he could hear Minhos voice almost crack, but it only added to the feeling of the song and Changbin had to swallow away a lump in his throat. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the song, he saw that Hyunjin and Felixs eyes were watery and he couldn’t help but smile a little at their dramatic reactions. He also heard some whispers going around besides the clapping and cheering, and he saw some people point at Minho. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit, curse those gossipy people,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought, but he quickly forgot it again as they moved on to the last few songs, and Changbin was glad that there was still a group to come before he would have to face his parents. He hoped that would make them forget whatever negative things they would be thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin, Seungmin and Jisung walked through the crowd after the performance, trying to find either Hyunjin and Felix, or a quiet spot somewhere at the front, when they were stopped by someone grabbing Jisungs arm. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re one of those kids who worked with my son, Changbin, right?” A man said, probably Changbins father. “But you’re not part of the group, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jisung tried to wiggle his arm free. “That— That’s right, uhm, we’re second years and we’re his roommates and we offered to help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbins parents shared a look before the man spoke again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m guessing you two are the two singers,” He motioned to Jeongin and Seungmin. “And you…?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I major in music production, just like Changbin.” Jisung mumbled, he seemed uncomfortable with the attention. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you the one who convinced him to rap as much as he did? He rapped the most of everyone in his group! Well— he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>the best of all of you of course, but did you convince him to do that?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin decided to step in to help Jisung. “No, Jisung only helped with recording, the assignment was that Chan and Changbin make songs, which they did.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, so it was the fault of that Chan boy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No— well, it was no one’s ‘fault’.” Seungmin stepped in too. “They worked together to come up with songs and they both collaborated on making all these songs, all the while deliberating and discussing with each other what they want. That’s what we know. If you want to know what went on in their heads you should ask </span>
  <em>
    <span>them.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You tell ‘em, Seungmin, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin thought, and they wanted to continue their journey through the audience, but Changbins parents stopped them again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what about that dancer boy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, can’t they just enjoy the last performance? </span>
  </em>
  <span>They turned around again and Jeongin hoped sincerely they hadn’t heard any rumors.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The choreographies were amazing, weren’t they?” Seungmin smiled politely and Jeongin was quite amazed. “The fact that he even made a modern choreography while he doesn’t major in that field. And Changbin told us he was a great teacher, he was very patient and kind, even though Changbin hadn’t danced much before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbins parents seemed to be taken aback by that, not knowing what to say immediately and Jeongin thanked the lords for Seungmin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. Well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>heard from multiple students that that dancer boy— what was his name again?— has a history of harassing people in group projects?” The mom said. “Did you know that? Is our boy safe?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we knew. It’s only a rumor, and we know </span>
  <em>
    <span>Minho</span>
  </em>
  <span>. If the rumor is even true, it wasn’t his intention and it wasn’t that serious. And besides, it was more than a year ago and he has never harmed anyone since, and we </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span>, including Changbin, see him as a good friend.” Jisung seemed to have forgotten that he was in the middle of a big crowd as he told Changbins parents how it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin and Seungmin nodded in confirmation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“Hmm. Still, he remains a </span><em><span>hip hop </span></em><span>dancer, </span><em><span>and </span></em><span>he’s… </span><em><span>gay?</span></em> <em><span>And </span></em><span>he forced our son to dance this unsophisticated—”</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Minho didn’t force Changbin to do anything! Everything—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” Changbins father seemed to be offended. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, Jisung. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“How dare you interrupt me? And you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>also brainwashed by this Minho guy. Why should I believe someone who also raps willingly for songs? Your singing is good enough to only do that, but still you resort to rapping?” The man scoffed and Jeongin wanted to punch him. “Anyway, we’ll talk to our son and that Minho guy ourselves.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two returned their gazes towards the stage again where the last group was already well into their performance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh gosh honey, do you think Hyunjin is okay? Do you think he’s affected by those dancers too?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Okay, that’s our cue to go, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>before we go punch some rich people. </span>
  </em>
  <span>They dragged Jisung along through the crowd, getting angry looks from the people they pushed around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you guys see Hyunjin or Felix anywhere?” Seungmin asked, looking around, still maneuvering through the crowd. “I thought they stood about there when we were up, but I guess they went to the bathroom or found Hyunjins parents or something.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, Hyunjin is supposed to be tall, but he isn’t really sticking out anywhere— gosh it’s too damn busy here!” Jeongin said as he was also pushed around a bit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Why aren’t people just standing still and enjoying the performance? Well</span>
  </em>
  <span>— </span>
  <em>
    <span>it’s not like </span>
  </em>
  <span>we’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing that either. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin guessed it was other people who weren’t part of a group, but participated, or people who needed to go to the bathroom, or people who wanted to leave, or people who wanted to find their friends, parents— </span>
  <em>
    <span>not important, Jeongin!</span>
  </em>
  <span>— </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, is that Hyunjin? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys, isn’t that Hyunjin?” Jeongin thought he could spot his tall friend through the crowd, and began wading his way there, leading his friends.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyunjin? Hyunjin!” Seungmin called. “Felix!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two dancers turned around and happily waved.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My parents are over there!” Hyunjin yelled back and pointed in some direction, motioning them to come with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They all managed to make their way to Felix, Hyunjin, and Hyunjins parents after a while, and greeted the parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Jisung … ?” Hyunjin asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Jeongin yelled a little louder than he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is Jisung not with you?” Felix, who was standing closer to Jeongin, repeated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Jeongin and Seungmin looked around to find that Jisung was indeed not with them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought he was following you!” Jeongin looked at Seungmin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I thought so too, but then you suddenly saw Hyunjin and began walking!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well it’s okay if </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>get lost, but Jisung…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Since when was it my responsibility to—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys!” Felix cut them off. “It can happen. It’s really busy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin sighed. “Yeah, sorry Seungmin.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin mimicked his sigh. “Yeah, sorry. Should we go look for him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin stood on his toes to try and find Jisung, but judging from his look, he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, maybe we’ll all miss him then. Maybe if we stand in a group, we stand out and he’ll find us sooner?” Hyunjin said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hmm. That’s right.” Jeongin nodded. “You guys stay here and I’ll go look for Jisung, okay? Because I was the one who recklessly began walking through the crowd.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeongin—” Seungmin began, but Jeongin stopped him with a look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin did feel bad for not thinking before he went to find Hyunjin and Felix, but he also wanted to give Hyunjin and Seungmin the opportunity to talk together more. He had seen the way Hyunjin had looked at Seungmin during the love song. He didn’t know what they would talk about, but he wanted to give them the opportunity to talk, even if it was just Hyunjin giving Seungmin compliments for his singing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I hope I won’t be long!” Jeongin waved and went on his journey through the crowd.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Oh no</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. You can't possibly care for me that much</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Minho unconsciously took a step towards his seemingly struggling friend, which apparently was noticed by his parents as they turned towards him. Minho was pulled out of his haze by their stern looks. Oh shit Minho, I think you fucked up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Shit goes down... (but chansung is always soft)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After the last performance was over, everyone clapped and cheered loudly. Chan was impressed by everyones performances and he was confident in his group too. He shared a look with his group mates, but he saw Changbin frowning. <em> Oh yeah, his parents. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Do you want us to go with you?” Chan asked.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin seemed startled by his question as his eyes widened and his cheeks turned a light pink.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh no, definitely not.” The short boy shook his head. “Please try to avoid them. I don’t want them to blame you two for the fact that they probably don’t like what I <em> want </em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“But maybe we can convince them?” Chan offered. “I mean, they don’t hate music producers, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well— that’s right, I mean— if they knew you they’d probably be all ‘oh why aren’t you more like Chan?’ to me.” Changbin said. “But I’m also afraid they’ll try to blame you. My parents can be really exhausting and I don’t want you to experience that. You two go enjoy how <em> well </em>we did!”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin gave them both a hug. “Thank you guys! I had so much fun and I’m so proud of the outcome! You were the best group mates.”</p><p> </p><p>Before Chan or Minho could respond, Changbin sighed and vanished into the crowd. Chan shared a concerned look with Minho.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think it’s of any use to follow him.” The dancer sighed. “<em> If </em>we even can in this crowd.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, let’s try to find the rest then.” Chan agreed. “At least people are leaving now.”</p><p> </p><p>Although it was very slow, the crowd indeed got a little thinner, but most people were just talking to their friends, family and professors. Chan was looking around to find his friends when he saw Jeongin scouring through the crowd. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey Jeongin!” He yelled and tapped on Minhos shoulder. The dancer seemed to be distracted by something. </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin motioned Chan to come over and Chan told Minho he’d go over to the younger friend. When the dancer just nodded vaguely, Chan thought Minho would probably not move much so it would be okay if he went over to Jeongin for a second.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Innie, what are you doing—”</p><p> </p><p>“We lost Jisung in the crowd.” Jeongin sped through his words. “And I can’t find him anymore, but! maybe he’s with the rest because they’re standing in a group so maybe not all is doomed—”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s— It’s okay.” Chan said, despite feeling panicked. <em> Now is not the time to scold anyone, we should look for Jisung and see if he’s okay. Stress isn’t good for his anxiety. </em>“I’ll help look.” </p><p> </p><p>In his worked up state he totally forgot to fill in Minho, he needed to find Jisung. He didn’t care about pushing people around and he cursed this auditorium for still being so dark when the performances were already done. After a while he saw a small figure crouching on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>“Jisung?” He called out, but there was no reaction.</p><p> </p><p>He crouched next to the boy, and it was indeed Jisung. </p><p> </p><p>“Jisung? Are you okay?”</p><p> </p><p>Again no answer. <em> Shit. </em>Jisung was probably having one of his silent panic-attacks where he shut himself off from the world.</p><p> </p><p>“Sungie? It’s me, Chan. Come, focus on me okay? Everything will be fine.” Chan carefully helped Jisung stand and began leading him towards the exit. “Focus on my voice, okay? Tell me, what can you hear?”</p><p> </p><p>“I—” Jisung began. He seemed to become aware of his surroundings again. “I— I can hear people talk, people sing, people yell.”</p><p> </p><p>The youngers breathing got heavier, probably from the fact that he got aware of how many people there were.</p><p> </p><p>“Good, what can you see besides people?” </p><p> </p><p>“I— uhm, I can see colorful clothing—uhm, the doors to the auditorium, some wall lights.” Jisung looked around and his gaze landed on Chan. “I can see you.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s right.” Chan smiled. “I’m here for you.”</p><p> </p><p>They exited the auditorium and Chan brought him outside for fresh air. They shivered in the cold autumn air, but Jisung seemed to calm down a little. </p><p> </p><p>“What can you smell, Sungie?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung breathed in through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. “I smell the leaves on the ground, I smell the leftover smells from the rain… I smell, uhm, your sweat and deodorant…”</p><p> </p><p>Chans felt his ears heat up at the last comment, but at least Jisung seemed calm, as he had snickered when he said ‘sweat’. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry.” Chan chuckled.</p><p> </p><p>“It calmed me.” Jisung chuckled back and let out a breath. “Thank you, Chan.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, no problem. I’m surprised you calmed down so quickly, I was afraid that it would be bad.”</p><p> </p><p>“It was pretty bad for a moment, yeah.” The younger shrugged. “But you always calm me down well.”</p><p> </p><p>Chans blush spread to his cheeks, or maybe it was the cold from outside, but his insides also felt warm. Jisung shivered again and hugged him for warmth and Chan slung his arms around the slender boy.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you think you can go back? I think the crowd is slowly leaving.” Chan rubbed the others arms to create some warmth.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, if you’re with me I think I can handle everything.” Jisung smiled, and Chan wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. <em> He’s probably joking, at least exaggerating.  </em></p><p> </p><p>They stood still for a second more, Chan not wanting to let go just yet, and Jisung probably taking one last breath, before they walked back, hugging until they were inside, where they resorted to just walking close to each other.</p><p> </p><p>When they arrived at the auditorium, they heard a few people whispering to each other.</p><p> </p><p>“...that gay dancer…” Chan managed to pick up. <em> Oh no, Minho? </em></p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Minho was staring at Changbin seemingly fighting with his parents when Chan tapped on his shoulder and said something about going to Jeongin. Minho just nodded. </p><p>
  <em> To go over there, or not?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>The logical thing was to <em> not </em>go over there. Not only had Changbin told them he wanted to deal with his parents alone, Minho wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear from more people that he was some evil harasser who was out to take advantage of his group members during projects. On top of that he would probably have to hear some speech about how hip hop isn’t sophisticated and he would probably make no money later in his life, that he was throwing away his life. But why, then, did his gut tell him to go over to Changbin? Why did he feel so guilty when Changbin had told them he was expecting his parents to rage on, that it was his own choice to be in this group and he would deal with the consequences? Why did his chest tighten painfully and did his stomach drop as he watched Changbins parents not bat an eye at Changbins wild gestures? </p><p> </p><p>Minho unconsciously took a step towards his seemingly struggling friend, which apparently was noticed by his parents as they turned towards him. Minho was pulled out of his haze by their stern looks. <em> Oh shit Minho, I think you fucked up. </em></p><p> </p><p>“You.” Changbins father pointed a finger at him. “You keep your filthy fingers <em> off </em>my son!”</p><p> </p><p>“Dad! I already told you ten times that he hasn’t done anything wrong!” Changbin grabbed his fathers arm, pulling down the accusing finger.</p><p> </p><p>“The fact that he forced you to do hip hop is already wrong! The fact that he has chosen to be gay—”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s not a choice, dad! And I also told you no one forced me to do <em> anything </em> !” Changbins desperate voice pierced painfully through Minhos ears. “ <em> This </em>, what we’ve showed today, is what I like! I enjoy rapping, I enjoy making this kind of music! I have always have, you know that!”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s just your rebellious phase, sweetheart.” Changbins mom laid a hand on her sons shoulder. “But these people are convincing you that it’s actually what you like. Either way, with this kind of music you’re not going to make money, you will not be respected by the right people—”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t care! I want to make my <em> own </em> decisions, and <em> I </em>will deal with those consequences!”</p><p> </p><p>“Well <em> obviously </em> you can’t make good decisions on your own.” Changbins father said. <em> How are these people his parents? Do they give any fucks about their son? </em> “And your decisions don’t only affect <em> you, </em> Changbin, they affect us, your family? Can’t you think about the people around you instead of constantly thinking about yourself?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Oh hell no. </em>Minho opened his mouth to say something, but Changbin beat him to it.</p><p> </p><p>“But—”</p><p> </p><p>“Seo Changbin!” Changbins father raised his voice, startling Minho and Changbin. “I have had enough of you talking back in this manner!”</p><p> </p><p>The man sighed. “What happened to our beautiful son that he has turned so selfish and rotten now?”</p><p> </p><p>That was the last drop for Minho.</p><p> </p><p>“<em> Selfish? </em> You think that <em> Changbin </em> is <em> selfish </em>? Do you even know your own son?” Minho was seething with anger.</p><p> </p><p>“Minho—” Changbin began.</p><p> </p><p>“Excuse me?” Changbins father turned to him. “Did I ask you something you filthy— you <em> unmannered </em>pleb? I don’t think so. Spare yourself some embarrassment and don’t talk to those higher than you unless you’re talked to.”</p><p> </p><p>“No. You can’t call Changbin, your <em> own </em> son, selfish and expect me to say nothing!” Minho almost yelled. “Changbin has done <em> nothing </em>selfish if it concerns you. He’s only following his heart, doing what makes him happy, and frankly, I haven’t seen a single soul who is hurt or harmed by it, so what’s the problem? Do you not care one bit about your sons happiness?”</p><p> </p><p>“Minho, please—”</p><p> </p><p>“We <em> know </em> that if he continues on this path, he won’t be happy.” Changbins father stepped closer and pried a finger in Minhos chest. “You do not get to talk about whether we know our own son or not. We know he <em> thinks </em> this is what he wants right now, and whos fault is that? <em> You </em> are ruining our sons life. And he <em> is </em> harming someone with his reckless behaviour, our familys reputation. Now stay away from our son with your vile hands, and don’t even <em> think </em> about getting in another project with him, since apparently people like you only know how to harass others. If we hear that the thought of touching our son has even crossed your mind, we <em> will </em>make your life miserable.”</p><p> </p><p>“Dad! Stop! Leave Minho out of it!” Changbin pulled his dad back again. “If you punish someone, punish me. Minho has done nothing wrong. But please—”</p><p> </p><p>“Enough of this!” His father pushed Changbin away. “Changbin. You will stay away from this man as well, or there will be consequences. That’s for your own sake. </p><p>And we see that we cannot force you out of this phase, but we will be monitoring you more closely for the rest because you have shown that you cannot be independent. That, and you <em> will </em>come home during the winter break.”</p><p> </p><p>The man linked his arm with his wifes and put up one of those ‘I feel higher than everyone else’ looks. “Let’s go honey, I don’t want this filthy pleb rubbing off on me like he has done with our son.”</p><p> </p><p>They shot Minho one last hostile look and turned around to leave the auditorium.</p><p> </p><p>“Shit, I’m so sorry Minho—”</p><p> </p><p>“You idiot! Why are <em> you </em>apologizing? You did nothing wrong.” Minho said more harshly than he intended, his anger still lingering in his mind. “Sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Then you shouldn’t apologize either!” Changbin stepped closer to him. “And please don’t let those words get to you, my parents can’t really hurt you, they just want to scare you.”</p><p> </p><p>“But they can hurt you!” Minho was surprised at his own amount of emotion. “I don’t want to be in the way—”</p><p> </p><p>“Minho! Changbin! Is everything okay?” </p><p> </p><p>Minho turned around to see Chan enter the auditorium with Jisung. <em> Where have they been? </em>Not long after the rest of their friends joined them.</p><p> </p><p>“Bin, my parents just told me that I apparently had to watch out for Minho? What happened?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p> </p><p>"Oh god, not you too…" Minho mumbled. <em> Why am I cursed with people hating me for no good reason?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry! Changbins parents can't tell me what to do, and my parents only follow their advice. I don't think they will cause any problems." The tall boy assured him. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Okay, god bless. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"But what happened?" Seungmin asked. </p><p> </p><p>"My parents were being… well, just themselves I guess, but unfortunately they saw Minho and involved him as well, saying horrible things to him." Changbin looked down with a guilty look and Minho wanted to shake it off his face. </p><p> </p><p>"Those things were meaningless. They said horrible things to <em>you</em>." Minho countered and sighed. "Even my family wouldn't be that harsh in my face." </p><p> </p><p>"I'm used to it." Changbin waved off, but he didn’t seem completely unfazed. "And besides, I won't listen to them. They can't force me to just ignore my roommates, to ignore my <em> friends. </em>Even if they disown me—"</p><p> </p><p>"Changbin, stop." Minho couldn't hear this any more. "I won't let them." </p><p> </p><p>"Wh— what are you talking about?" </p><p> </p><p>"I won't let them hurt you or disown you or something like that because I—" Minho sighed.<em> Yeah, what will you say, Minho? </em>"Because I will distance myself from you." </p><p> </p><p>"What?" Changbin asked simultaneously with gasps from his friends. "No— Minho that is the <em> last </em>thing I want! My parents are not your problem! Don't let them affect you! As I said, they can't hurt you." </p><p> </p><p>"But I don't want them to hurt <em> you </em> because of <em> me </em>!" </p><p> </p><p>"But it will hurt me more if you distance yourself from me!" </p><p> </p><p><em> What? </em>That caught Minho by surprise and he stood speechless for a moment, hearing his friends hold their breath. </p><p> </p><p>"You can't possibly care for me that much—" </p><p> </p><p>Minho was cut off by Changbin wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug and Minhos breath hitched for a short moment. </p><p> </p><p>"I do." </p><p> </p><p><em> Fuck. Minho calm down, </em>he thought, but it didn't help his rapidly beating heart. </p><p> </p><p>"Please don't say such things." He whispered, not daring to hug Changbin back with as much force as the other did. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin loosened the hug and looked up at him with a concerned expression, not completely letting go of him, and Minho didn't know if this was any better than the hug. </p><p> </p><p>"Why? It's the truth." </p><p> </p><p><em> Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuck. </em> Minho thought he would get a heart attack or something and he felt like he couldn't breathe. He looked up at the ceiling so he didn't have to see Changbins face. <em> Why can't he just be okay with me ignoring him? Why must he make this so hard on me? </em></p><p> </p><p>"Minho?" </p><p> </p><p>"AAAGhh!" Minho let out a scream. "I like you, Changbin! I like you so much, but I don't want to do anything to you. That's why you shouldn't say such things. That's why I should distance myself from you!"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>cliffffhhaannnggeeeerrrrr</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. I just want us to be free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Hyunjin, is there something on my face?" Seungmin grinned. </p><p> </p><p>Ah, is he referring to that other time I was staring? </p><p> </p><p>"I was just spacing out—" Hyunjin smiled back. </p><p> </p><p>"It looked more like he was admiring you!" Minho cut in. "Dammit, too late. Bin! You were supposed to kick me!" </p><p> </p><p>"What?" Changbin, who was helping Felix with dinner, looked up from the cutting board. "I need to kick you?" </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A bit of a shorter chapter, hope you guys don't mind!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Minho?" </p><p> </p><p>"AAAGhh!" Minho let out a scream. "I like you, Changbin! I like you so much, but I don't want to do anything to you. That's why you shouldn't say such things. That's why I should distance myself from you!" </p><p> </p><p>Changbins eyes were wide and he quickly looked around, cheeks flushed. <em> Oh shit, we're in public. Minho you're a dumbass. </em>Minho looked around too and he saw a few eyes on them, but it seemed no one had heard anything besides the scream. </p><p> </p><p>All of his friends were silently anticipating what Changbin would do or answer. Changbin was looking down, frowning a little. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm sorry, I'm really putting you on the spot right now—" Minho began, but Changbin grabbed his hand and pulled him along. </p><p> </p><p>"Wh— where are we going?" He stuttered as they left the auditorium. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin didn't answer but it seemed that they were heading towards the bathroom. <em> Ah, for privacy?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Once they entered the bathrooms, Changbin looked around again before cupping Minhos cheeks and almost slamming his face into his. It took a second before Minho realized Changbin was <em> kissing </em> him. <em> What?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Minho pushed the other back, his heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. "Changbin what the hell are you doing?" </p><p> </p><p>"I— I think I like you too!" Changbin seemed a little distressed. </p><p> </p><p><em> No. Nononononono. </em>That would be even worse?</p><p> </p><p>"You think?" </p><p> </p><p>"Well— yeah I never focused on these things because of my parents—" Changbins breathing wasn't really steady. "but when I'm with you I feel… things— I feel different than with other people." </p><p> </p><p>Changbins words were soft, but to Minho they were panic inducing. </p><p> </p><p>"Changbin—" He began, but was cut off by the bathroom door opening. </p><p> </p><p>A student walked in and gave them a brief confused look before entering one of the stalls. Changbin and Minho stood in silence for a minute while the student used the toilet. Minho didn't know if he should look at the other or not, but when he tried, he discovered that it wouldn't be a good idea since Changbin was looking at him with a look that Minho couldn't handle. </p><p> </p><p><em> He thinks he likes me? That's bad— but also good? No— it's not like we can be together, right? Well, we had to be careful anyway, but still, can Changbin keep it secret from his parents? Can </em> I <em> ? Shit, I didn't expect him to like me back! What do I do?  </em></p><p> </p><p>The student gave them another look while he washed his hands, eyeing Minhos frown and balled fists. </p><p> </p><p>"You know, if you want to fight I suggest doing it behind the building, or in an alleyway maybe. Here you'll only get disturbed." The student commented and left. </p><p> </p><p>Minho shared a look with Changbin and they burst into laughter. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, but seriously," Minho said as their laughter died down, getting serious again. "your parents will kill you if they knew this, and me but they want that regardless." </p><p> </p><p>Changbins expression turned somber again. </p><p> </p><p>"But weren't you the one who said it was good that I said I'd date whoever I want?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yes— but I didn't think you would seriously like me back!" The slight panic was returning to Minho. "I really want to date you, Changbin, but I'm also literally the <em> worst </em>person for you. And are you even sure that you like me?" </p><p> </p><p>"Well, as I said, I feel different with you than with other people." Changbin mumbled. "And I kind of was trying to find out for sure by, uhm… what I did earlier…" </p><p> </p><p>Minhos cheeks heated up at thinking about Changbin kissing him. He felt so conflicted. </p><p> </p><p>"I don't know, Changbin…" </p><p> </p><p>"You don't know what?" </p><p> </p><p>Minho felt Changbin trying to make eye contact, but he couldn't do it. </p><p> </p><p>"Look— I <em> really </em> don't want your parents to hurt you. They were already calling you selfish for doing what you're passionate about, how will they accept that you want to date a <em> boy </em> , and that boy is no one other than <em> me </em>?" He said, finally finding the courage to look at the other. "I mean, I guess it's your choice, but please think about this well, Bin." </p><p> </p><p>Minhos hands unconsciously went to Changbins shoulders as they looked in each others eyes. Changbin was probably thinking about what would be the best to do, about whether Minho would be worth defying his family for. Minho, meanwhile, was just getting lost in the others eyes, not thinking about anything for a while. </p><p> </p><p>"I just want us to be free." Changbin said, closing his eyes and sighing as Minhos hands moved from his shoulders to his neck and jaw. "But maybe you're also right, we should go one step at a time." </p><p> </p><p>"Hmm?" Minho prompted him to continue, mindlessly brushing his thumbs over Changbins cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>"I'll try to convince my parents to let me do what I'm passionate about first before we seriously do something, but…" The younger trailed off as he leaned in to Minhos touch and looked at him with something in his eyes. "right now I just want you to kiss me." </p><p> </p><p>Minho didn't need to think long for that. He leaned forward and closed his eyes as Changbin placed his hands on his back. He pressed his lips to the others lightly, letting Changbin get used to it in case he changed his mind after all. When the shorter boy didn't seem to be having second thoughts, Minho pulled him a little closer and felt Changbin wrap his arms around him a little tighter. </p><p> </p><p>Before he was completely out of oxygen he reluctantly pulled back, <em> maybe we shouldn't overdo it. </em> Changbins eyes fluttered open and he had the tiniest pout on his lips, and it might have been the best thing Minho had ever seen. <em> Man, I'm in deep, huh?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Let's go to the others." Minho said once he managed to get over himself. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>It was a few days after the third years' showcase, and Hyunjin had, at Changbins request, called his parents to ask them to talk to Changbins parents to maybe convince them more to let Changbin free. Hyunjin had told his parents about how nowadays people really appreciate the hip hop genre more, and about how Changbin got a lot of compliments on his raps. He had also told them about how Felix, who is also a hip hop dancer, is literally the sweetest person alive, hinting at that peoples interests don't dictate their personality. He hoped his parents could help at least a little. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin honestly wasn't that surprised that Changbin liked Minho, he had heard him talk about the other and look at the other in ways that were just a little different from what he did with the rest. The two had decided to lay low until Changbin had fixed things with his parents, and Hyunjin hoped that would be soon. <em> Maybe I should think about telling my parents about me one time too, </em> he thought and involuntarily looked towards Seungmin. The brown-haired boy was studying for his last exam and he somehow looked amazing. <em> I guess I'm not over him.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin had forgiven Seungmin and he didn't feel any grudges towards the other anymore, because not only had Seungmin apologized, he had also stood up for him and told people who were talking about his looks to focus more on his dance, and he hadn't even done it in front of Hyunjin so it wasn't like he was trying to get him to forgive him. It seemed like Seungmin had genuinely realized that Hyunjin didn't want to have Seungmin to himself, but that he had just been insecure. He still didn't know what Seungmin thought of him now, but he didn’t care that much. <em> Just being friends with him is already great.  </em></p><p> </p><p>As if Seungmin heard him thinking, he turned to Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"Hyunjin, is there something on my face?" Seungmin grinned. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah, is he referring to that other time I was staring?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"I was just spacing out—" Hyunjin smiled back. </p><p> </p><p>"It looked more like he was admiring you!" Minho cut in. "Dammit, too late. Bin! You were supposed to kick me!" </p><p> </p><p>"What?" Changbin, who was helping Felix with dinner, looked up from the cutting board. "I need to kick you?" </p><p> </p><p>"I know you'd much rather kiss me, but for kicking it's too late and for kissing it's too early." Minho shook his head and returned to whatever he was doing. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin stood perplexed and confused for a moment before he returned to chopping vegetables again. Hyunjin couldn't help but smile at the two. </p><p> </p><p>When his gaze landed back on Seungmin, he saw the other was still looking at him. </p><p> </p><p>"So, you were just spacing out?" Seungmin asked in a light teasing tone. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, sorry for distracting you." Hyunjin chuckled, he didn't dare to say he was actually thinking about Seungmin, but it was probably already clear to the other. </p><p> </p><p>"It's okay, I can use a break." The brown-haired boy smiled and went over to sit on the armrest of the couch, next to Hyunjin. "I actually wanted to talk to you about something…" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah? What's up?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm… so you've forgiven me, right?" Seungmin began. "And, uhm, you know how I had been preparing a surprise for you?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded, prompting him to continue. He felt his heartbeat speed up when he thought about the surprise. He was curious about it, but he also feared that Seungmin didn't want to do or give it anymore. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, uhm, you've been so nice to me and I don't really feel like I deserve that, but still, I learned from my mistakes and I want to communicate properly with you." The younger continued, and Hyunjin had to stop himself from interrupting him and telling him he <em> does </em> deserve him. "Uhm, would you still want to get that surprise?" </p><p> </p><p><em> Is he implying that he still likes me? Or did the surprise have nothing to do with Seungmin liking me? </em>Hyunjin didn't dare to ask, he didn't want to scare away Seungmin again. </p><p> </p><p>"I mean, I'm curious of course, yeah, so if you still want to give it to me I'd like that." He smiled. "And please don't feel like you don't deserve that I'm nice to you, really, I've forgiven you. Completely." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins eyes widened a little. "Really? Even though I haven't done, like, anything besides apologize once or twice?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah. Your apologies seemed sincere, <em> and </em> you stood up for me at my exam, <em> and </em>you've been just nice and considerate. You don't need grand gestures necessarily if that's not your style." Hyunjin said. "I think you've showed me that you were sorry enough. In your own way, and that's the way it should be." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins cheeks reddened a little as he looked down, a little smile on his lips. </p><p> </p><p>"Okay." He said and looked Hyunjin in the eyes. "I'll have to make some changes to the surprise, I think, and I still have one exam, but I hope you don't mind waiting a little longer." </p><p> </p><p>"Of course not." Hyunjin answered. "Take all the time you need." </p><p> </p><p>They smiled at each other and Hyunjin suddenly felt warm, in a good way. He felt warm as in that everything between him and Seungmin would be fine. He already knew it, but now he felt it especially. </p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, Hyunjin." Seungmin said, and Hyunjin barely heard it, being in his entranced state. "I'll go back to studying now." </p><p> </p><p>"... If I can still concentrate now…" He mumbled after, but Hyunjin didn't hear it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. You're perfect the way you are</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seungmin looked at him with a slightly nervous expression, and Hyunjin slapped a hand in front of his mouth when a whimper escaped. Ah, I’m crying.</p><p>“Hyunjin? What’s wrong?” Seungmin came closer with a worried expression. “Please don’t feel bad or something. I don’t expect anything in return.”</p><p>“No I don’t feel bad at all!” Hyunjin shook his head. “Sorry— I’m just— so touched.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Seungmin finally reveals his surprise for Hyunjin!<br/>Things get sappyyyy</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After Jeongin and Seungmins last exam, there would only be a few days left until the winter break. Technically Changbin was already done, but he had told his parents that he still needed to arrange a few things, which wasn't a lie, because Jisung had come up with the genius idea to ask a professor for recommendations or tips about jobs and that kind of stuff to show and tell to his parents. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>Today he had agreed to meet up with Seungmin and Jisung to finish Seungmins surprise for Hyunjin after the last exam, and he had taken the opportunity to talk with some of his professors before. His day already couldn't be any better, working with his friends to make a surprise for his other friend,</span> <span>he had just gotten a list of all the jobs and opportunities he had as someone who focused on rap, </span><em><span>and </span></em><span>one of the professors had offered to write a recommendation letter for him if he could if Changbin had a certain job in mind. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Bin!" Jisung greeted. "Min and In not ready yet?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"They should be any minute now." Changbin answered. "Thanks for agreeing to help us." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course! I'd gladly help out a friend." The younger smiled. "So, I just have to play guitar right?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah." Changbin nodded. "We hope to finish the song today so Seungmin can do it while I'm still here." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Man, ever since you and Hyunjin have come here our lives are like dramas! I mean, before that it wasn't dull, but now especially!" Jisung was almost jumping up and down. "Oh yeah! How did it go with your professors?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It went great! I actually have hope of convincing my parents with this!" Changbins felt hope rise up in his chest. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nice! I bet Minho will be very happy to hear this!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin didn't know it was possible, but he smiled even wider when thinking about how Minho would react. He hugged Jisung tightly and jumped up and down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"All thanks to you! You are a genius Jisung! A Jinius!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Haha of course I am!" Jisung laughed and jumped along. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they let go of each other, they saw the youngest two approaching. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you two so happy about?" Seungmin grinned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Just celebrating my geniusness." Jisung grinned back. "No, uhm, Changbin had gotten some good help from his professors for convincing his parents." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Which was Jisungs idea." Changbin added. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jeongin and Seungmin nodded and congratulated him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"How did the exam go?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It went well, but my brain is fried now so if you don't mind I will be going home." Jeongin said. "And that way everything will be a surprise for me too." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The youngest gave a smile and waved them goodbye before leaving. The other three made their way to one of the universitys studios to finish Seungmins surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They modified some things and practiced with Jisung playing guitar a few times. When they were finished, Seungmin gave Changbin and Jisung a hug. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you guys for still helping me." He said. "I really hope Hyunjin will like it." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course he'll like it!" Changbin lightly slapped the other. "Who wouldn't like someone writing a song for them?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I mean, I hope he won't feel pressured to, like, take me back? Not that we were really together in the first place…" Seungmin fidgeted a little with his sleeves. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The song doesn't necessarily have to be interpreted romantically." Jisung shrugged. "I also think he'll like it." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A big smile appeared on Seungmins face and Changbin couldn't wait for tomorrow when Seungmin would perform for Hyunjin. He also couldn't wait to tell Minho his good news, that he actually had something to show his parents. He could've texted the others or something, but he rather told them in person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Let's go home now!" Changbin jumped up and basically began running. "I hope Jeongin hasn't told them yet!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't think he has." Seungmin laughed while Jisung ran after Changbin. "Hey, guys wait!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They arrived back at their dorm completely out of breath. Well, Changbin and Jisung, Seungmin only ran the first part. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Now you guys still basically arrived at the same time as me." Seungmin grinned at the exhausted boys as he opened the door, although he was panting a little himself too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wow, what happened with you three? Did you offend Seungmin so he tried to kill you?" Minho asked, looking at the two short boys. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, I'm actually really happy with these two." Seungmin smiled, but Changbin guessed Minho probably knew that. "Hyunjin? Are you free tomorrow?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? Yeah I'm free." Hyunjin had a curious look, but didn't ask Seungmin to elaborate. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Okay good, because your surprise is ready." Seungmin said, a light blush on his cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few friends gasped, although everyone except for Felix, Minho and Hyunjin knew what the surprise was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"</span>
  <em>
    <span>And </span>
  </em>
  <span>there is more good news..." Changbin said in a mysterious tone and looked at Minho, whos expression turned curious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"My professor said he would recommend me to jobs if I wanted!" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minhos eyes went wide and his mouth formed a little 'o' before it transformed into a bright smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Deserve!" He beamed and jumped up from the couch to hug Changbin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin buried his head in the crook of Minhos neck and enjoyed the others warmth while he felt the rest join the hug. He didn't want to let go, but he had agreed to first talk about things with his parents before they would seriously do stuff. So instead, when they let go, he just admired Minho beautiful face. The dancer smiled and Changbin got a little shy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Are you trying to test my limits, Bin?" He asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's more like you are trying to test mine." Changbin shot back, earning a gorgeous grin from the other. "Your face is unfair."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I can't stand looking at you either." Minho said lovingly and cupped Changbins cheeks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ugh, I'm going to throw up." Jeongin made fake gagging sounds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Same." Minho said, still lovingly looking at Changbin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Changbin couldn't handle the heat Minhos gaze gave him anymore so he turned around and let out a breath. He felt fired up to talk to his parents now. </span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin woke up the next morning with a giddy feeling. All kinds of questions raced through his mind. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What would Seungmin have planned? Would he still like me? He said he had to change some things, right? Does that mean he </span>
  </em>
  <span>doesn't </span>
  <em>
    <span>like me anymore? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Whatever it is, it remains a fact that he has a surprise for me and still wants to give it, so I should be happy. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And indeed, a smile appeared on Hyunjins face as he thought about how Seungmin had seemed to work hard on the surprise. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got up and went to take a shower. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Should I wear something nice? No, Hyunjin don't act like it's something special, maybe that'll pressure Seungmin. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>When he got out of the shower, he crossed paths with Seungmin and they gave each other a shy smile and giggle. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gosh, he's too cute. </span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>During breakfast he couldn't help but glance at Seungmin every ten seconds. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You two are both up earlier than usual." Jeongin commented. "Excited for the surprise?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah." Hyunjin said, he couldn't lie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, please don't expect too much." Seungmin waved his hands. "I don't want you to be disappointed." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm already happy you still want to give me your surprise." Hyunjin smiled. "Uhm, when do you want to do it?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, I need Jisung to help me, so maybe after lunch?" Seungmin looked towards the bedroom where most of their roommates were still sleeping. "If we can wait that long."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin giggled again and Hyunjin felt like he could burst. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ack! You're so cute!" Hyunjin stood up and flailed with his arms. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Time couldn't go by fast enough for Hyunjin, and Chan and Felix had to drag him along to do some groceries to distract him. Chan took his sweet time picking out what they wanted, even though he had a grocery list, while Felix tried to entertain him. Hyunjin was grateful for his friends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Channie do you know what the surprise is?" Felix asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah I do. I think only you two and Minho don't know." Chan answered. "Well— I don't know what the final version is, though so I'm curious too." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Aaaaahhhhhhh." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin shook his body, he felt like he was malfunctioning or something. On one hand he was too curious and excited for the surprise, but Seungmin had also said he shouldn't expect too much so he tried not to think about it too much. He wasn't really succeeding with the second part, though. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do it for Seungmin, Hyunjin. And for yourself so that you won't be disappointed. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they came back to the dorm and put away the groceries, Hyunjin suddenly turned around to see Jisung with a guitar and Seungmin next to him, shifting a little on his feet. Seungmins hair seemed to have been styled a little and Hyunjin now realized the brown haired boys clothes were a little less casual than usual for a day off. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is it a coincidence or has he deliberately put in a little more effort? </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Either way, Hyunjin was perhaps swooning a little at how Seungmins hair was neatly swept out of his face, showing his lovely eyebrows. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, do you have time right now, Hyunjin?" Seungmin asked. "Jisung didn't want to wait anymore. And me neither." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin seemed to be a little nervous, he was fidgeting a little with something he was holding behind his back, and his gaze wasn't steadily on Hyunjin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes I have time now!" Hyunjin stumbled over his own feet when walking closer to Seungmin. "Uhm, what do I have to do?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can sit on the couch if you want." Seungmin motioned with one hand towards the couch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin was glad to be able to sit down, he was afraid his knees might give up on him otherwise. Seungmin shortly looked at Jisung who was standing ready with his guitar before returning his gaze to Hyunjin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh yeah, the guitar, why does Jisung have his guitar out? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hyunjin had been so preoccupied with looking at Seungmin that he had forgotten about Jisung and his guitar. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, yeah, so I, uhm, wrote a song for you— well, with Changbins help of course— but that was already clear, I think—" Seungmin was stumbling over his words, a rare sight. "Sorry. It's— somehow when I'm with you, my mind goes blank, but I managed to put my feelings in this song. I hope you'll like it." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He wrote a song for me? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Hyunjin held his breath as he watched Seungmin give Jisung a few sheets of paper, and keep a few for himself. Hyunjin decided to think later and now just focus on Seungmin. Seungmin signalled Jisung to start playing, and Hyunjins breath hitched as Seungmin started singing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmins singing voice, it was unique, warm, and he could listen to it all day. Seungmin sang about regret, hope and most of all, gratefulness. Gratefulness for patience, gratefulness for understanding and gratefulness for forgiveness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin felt overwhelmed with emotions as Seungmin sang the song mostly with his eyes on the sheets, only sometimes locking eyes with Hyunjin. It felt like a love song and simultaneously it didn’t, because Seungmin sang about how he didn’t fully understand it himself, but he knew that he felt good when he was with Hyunjin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the song ended, Hyunjin felt tears prickle in his eyes. Seungmin looked at him with a slightly nervous expression, and Hyunjin slapped a hand in front of his mouth when a whimper escaped. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, I’m crying.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hyunjin? What’s wrong?” Seungmin came closer with a worried expression. “Please don’t feel bad or something. I don’t expect anything in return.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No I don’t feel bad at all!” Hyunjin shook his head. “Sorry— I’m just— so touched.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He enveloped the other in a tight hug and lightly shook him from side to side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe you wrote this for me! You really didn’t have to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt hands softly stroke over his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to.” Seungmin said gently. “At first this was the way I wanted to give you my definite answer as to whether I liked you, but now I just wanted to express my gratitude towards you. You’ve been nothing but nice to me and…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin fell quiet and Hyunjin let go to dry his own tears and look at the others face. The brown-haired boy was looking down, biting on his lip a little. Hyunjin gently cupped Seungmins cheek to make him look at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And?” He asked. He didn’t want to think about the implications of Seungmins words, he needed to hear from Seungmin what he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you still like me, Hyunjin?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins eyes widened at the question, but he soon regained himself and smiled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes I do.” He brushed his thumb along Seungmins cheek to emphasize his words, but pulled back when he realized what he was doing. “Sorry, I didn’t mean—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like you too Hyunjin.” Seungmin stopped him and grabbed his hand. “I will say it clearly now. I like you Hyunjin. And please don’t hold yourself back, you’re perfect the way you are, letting your feelings dictate your actions rather than your thoughts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seungmin…” Hyunjin felt like crying again. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You </span>
  </em>
  <span>are perfect the way you are too. You don’t have to do these grand gestures or say sappy words to let me know that you like me, because I like you for you. I like your subtle smiles, your childish side and your mature side, I like how you get annoyed easily and how you get over it easily. I like how you’re neat and how you on one hand you say directly how you feel, and on the other hand you sometimes hide it. How you’re wise and how you treat everyone according to how you think they want to be treated. How you’re diligent, how you’re cute, how you’re considerate and how you’re thoughtful, how—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins words were cut off by Seungmin pulling him closer and kissing him, hands cupping his jaw. It took a second, but Hyunjin gladly returned the gesture and melted into the kiss.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry.” Seungmin breathed as he pulled back. “I just needed to do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin chuckled and placed his forehead against the others and just enjoyed looking at the other. Seungmins blushed a little and averted his eyes although he was smiling, a contrast with how Seungmin had kissed him a little earlier, but Hyunjin loved Seungmins seemingly contradicting sides. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Again, sorry for that I let you wait for so long. And for fucking up in the middle.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin shook his head against the others. “That’s in the past. You’ve more than made up for it already. And maybe it was even good, maybe we needed it so we could </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>understand each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin smiled again and squeezed the hand he was still holding. “Yeah, you’re right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin gave the other a short kiss on his lips and another hug, because he finally could again. “I like you so much, Minnie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too, Jinnie.” Seungmin said and Hyunjins heart skipped a beat at the nickname. “And I’d love to hug you for longer, but I’m kind of hungry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin snorted and let him go with a chuckle. “Now that you say it, me too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, good. I don’t think I could’ve handled any more sappiness.” Jeongin breathed. “And I don’t think Changbin or Jisung could’ve handled not talking any longer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two short boys both gave Jeongin a light shove and a whine, and the rest laughed at it. Hyunjin couldn’t be any happier than he was at this moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, you can have the lyrics if you want.” Seungmin grabbed the sheets of paper and handed them to Hyunjin, who accepted them with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I’ll look at them whenever I feel like crying.” He joked, although it wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>unlikely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin laughed and Hyunjin thought he wasn’t getting out of this euphoric feeling any time soon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay! Happy stuff!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Jeongin made a mistletoe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Look! I made a mistletoe!" Jeongin grinned after a while and held his work above Seungmin and Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh no! Now I have to give you a kiss!" Hyunjin gasped at his boyfriend. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin just grinned and leaned forward, ready to accept the kiss. It wasn't really an amazing kiss because they were both smiling and Minho groaned through it, but it looked sweet. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A longer chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Bin, you’ll be leaving tomorrow, right?” Chan asked. “Do you have everything?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin nodded. “Yes, both stuff and the courage and resources to talk to them.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wait— Hyunjin do have to leave tomorrow too?” Seungmin asked to the boy lying in his arms. He did not want Hyunjin to leave him for three weeks just after they've gotten together.</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin shook his head. “No, not tomorrow. I’ll visit them for Christmas, though, but I’m guessing that most of us will.”</p><p> </p><p>The tall boy gave his now boyfriend a few kisses for good measure. Seungmin could get used to that. </p><p> </p><p>“Okay, good.” He smiled and snuggled his boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>"Maybe we can go on a date during the break. We'll have all the time to plan and less chance of seeing people we know." Hyunjin suggested, looking up at him from where he lied on his chest. </p><p> </p><p>"I'd love that." Seungmin said and gave Hyunjin a kiss on his forehead. </p><p> </p><p>"Ughh… We get it. You two can be together. Please stop flexing…" Minho groaned, staring into nothingness. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho…" Chan began, but was stopped by Minho raising his hand. </p><p> </p><p>"Let me sulk please. They know I’m not serious.”</p><p> </p><p>Although Minho said it, Seungmin thought Minho was really a little jealous. It wasn’t like his and Hyunjins situation was great, but it was better than that of Minho and Changbin, and Minho probably didn’t want to hope for anything.</p><p>Seungmin watched as Changbin went over to the pouting boy and gave him a hug.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t need any hugs…” Minho pouted, probably trying to convince himself. “I will survive when you throw yourself in front of the lions and I have no way of contacting you directly without serious consequences. I can live with the idea of your parents forcing you back home, yeah. That’s fine.”</p><p> </p><p>“Minhoooooooo...” Changbin shook the other. “Don’t be so negative. I myself have good hope that I at least don’t have to go back to living with my parents. I’m doing much better with my studies when I’m actually attending classes, and I don’t think my parents will want to hire someone to drive me everyday. Now give me a hug back please.”</p><p> </p><p>The dancer hmphed and gave in to the others whines. Seungmin smiled at the sight and saw his boyfriend do the same thing. He sincerely hoped Changbin would succeed in convincing his parents.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Minho shot awake with a dreadful feeling, <em> today Changbin will leave. </em> However much Changbin had tried to calm him down last night, saying his parents weren’t <em> that </em> bad usually, <em> only around me or when you try to do what </em> you <em> want? </em> , it couldn’t calm Minho. He couldn’t shake the fear that Changbins parents would somehow find out about his feelings for their son, or worse, about Changbins feelings for <em> him </em> . What made everything worse was that Changbin probably couldn’t message him directly, so he had to hear everything from others, which would suck especially when everyone would go home. <em> Well maybe my sucky family can distract me. And my cats!  </em></p><p> </p><p>Minhos parents weren’t really <em> happy </em> necessarily with the fact that he liked boys, but they were supportive, they just asked him to not talk about it with their family. He tried to shake away all the negative thoughts and went to take a shower. <em> I can still have fun with my friends during the winter break, and I’m </em> definitely <em> looking forward to seeing my cats again.  </em></p><p> </p><p>He wanted to take a long shower, but thought Changbin might want to take a shower too, so he kept it short. When he entered the living room, though, he saw Changbin already sitting at the dining table, clothed in his more fancy clothing and hair styled a little, and he looked just like he had when he had come here for the first time. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh hey, I’m guessing you’ve showered already?” Minho asked and joined him at the dining table. “Jihyo’s coming to pick you up in a little less than two hours, right?”</p><p> </p><p>They would all try to wake up in time to say goodbye to Changbin, but it seemed like he and Changbin were the first ones to wake up, although Minho thought he had seen Jeongin and Hyunjin waking up already as well. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but I wanted to take my time to get ready, as I’m used to do back home.” Changbin answered. “And I thought it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t wake up earlier than the rest.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, wanting to stretch your time with us?” Minho rested his head on his hand and smiled a little.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah.” Changbin nodded and mimicked Minhos pose. “Why are you up so early?” </p><p> </p><p>“I think you know that.”</p><p> </p><p>The youngers eyes went down and he pressed his lips together into a line. Minho hoped he didn’t feel too pressured to make his parents accept Minho, he just wanted Changbin to be able to do what he likes and if he could then also be with who he likes that would be perfect, but it wasn’t a priority.</p><p> </p><p>“I believe that you will be able to impress your parents with what you’ve achieved this year already, especially when you will get your grades from the exams and the project, but I couldn’t help but still worry a little.” Minho continued. “I don’t really know your parents that well so I don’t know what to expect.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, they won’t kill me.” Changbin half-joked. “You’ve just seen them at their worst. They were surprised because they hadn’t expected me to rap and do hip hop that much, but I’m confident I can convince them to let me continue this path. I know they love me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, that’s good.” Minho felt relieved at the others confident tone. “You show them how good you are in your passions.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin smiled proudly and something melted inside of Minho. <em> Damn, I’ll miss this boy.  </em></p><p> </p><p>“I’ll miss you too, you know.” He suddenly said after a few seconds of comfortable silence, as if he heard Minhos thoughts. “I’ll miss everyone here, and I’ll luckily see Hyunjin when he goes home too, but I’ll miss you. Even though we haven’t really done anything special yet.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Except for that one kiss… </em>Minho thought, but he quickly discarded it again, it would be dangerous to think about that right before Changbin would leave for three weeks to the people who threatened to ruin his life if he even thought about touching Changbin. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, don’t miss me too much, or else your parents will catch on.” He said in a teasing tone, but he was serious. </p><p> </p><p>“If I can, I will put in a good word for you too.” Changbin said. “Because I hope Hyunjins parents have already done so too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Please don’t bring yourself in too much danger, though. I don’t want you compromising your freedom or progress towards freedom for me. Just focus on making sure they support your passion for rap and hip hop music, that already helps too.”</p><p> </p><p>The younger sighed and opened his mouth to say something, but then Hyunjin and Jeongin appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey Bin, you ready to go back to eating fancy foods and being stuck up again?” Hyunjin joked.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean am I ready to go back to prison again?” Changbin laughed, but Minho didn’t find it funny. “But seriously. I’m more ready than I had thought a few days ago.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did Minhos rebelness and confidence rub off on you?” Jeongin asked.</p><p> </p><p>Minho held back a snort at the comment. <em> Oh Innie, I’m not half as rebellious or confident in this matter as Changbin is. I </em> wish <em> I could be as confident as Changbin, </em>he thought, although he suspected that the shorters confidence was partly feigned to put him at ease.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin nodded and not long after that the rest joined them. They joked around with each other and Chan helped Changbin triple check if he <em> really </em>wasn’t forgetting anything.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! I know something I still need before I leave.” Changbin said after Chan asked him for the fourth time. “Give everyone a big fat goodbye hug from Binnie.”</p><p> </p><p>The boy spread open his arms and Jisung lunged in to be the first one to hug him. Then Changbin moved on to the rest and took his time with every hug. It also seemed like he was keeping Minho for last. When he finally got to Minho to give him a hug, he squeezed as hard as he could, just like Minho was doing. </p><p> </p><p>"You can do it, Bin." He whispered and he had the urge to hide his head in the crook of Changbins neck like the other had done with him, to make the most of this moment. Instead, he only brushed his nose against Changbins neck and pressed a light kiss on his cheek. </p><p> </p><p>Changbins cheeks turned pink and a shy smile appeared on his face before his eyes found their way to Minhos. Something shined in his eyes that reminded Minho of their first kiss. <em> Gosh, now I really want to kiss him, </em>Minho thought and, not being able to resist, moved closer. He shouldn't, but it wasn’t like Changbin was doing anything against it either, it was more like Changbin was coming closer too. Minho closed his eyes and stopped to try to resist the other when he felt lips on his own and a hand slip to the back of his head. </p><p> </p><p><em> Shit, can't go back now, can we? </em>He thought, and shut off his mind to kiss back. It felt like a goodbye kiss indeed, as they both tried to feel as much of the other as they could. Minho pressed Changbin against him while Changbin did the same. When they parted for air, both drawing in a large amount of breath, Minho would have loved to go in to kiss him again, but he managed to stop himself this time. And it was just in time for Jihyo knocking on the door. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, that's my cue to go." Changbin said, head still red from the kiss. "Happy holidays to everyone in advance! See you next year." </p><p> </p><p>He opened the door and greeted Jihyo who took his bags, and with one last goodbye they were gone while Minho was still under the spell of their kiss. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, if that doesn't motivate him, I don't know what will." Seungmin commented after a second of silence. </p><p> </p><p>"Minho, you okay?" Jisung grinned, already knowing the answer. </p><p> </p><p>Minho just let out an unholy groan with some other weird sounds, it was his coping mechanism. The laughter his sounds elicited, though, cheered him up significantly. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Oh, I know what might help get our minds of this heartbreaking loss!” Jisung said. Although Minho was already smiling, he wanted to keep it that way. “Buy a crappy christmas tree and decorate it!”</p><p> </p><p>“Are we going to craft decorations?” Jeongin asked with sparkling eyes, it was cute. </p><p> </p><p>“Hell yeah!” Felix cheered.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh boy, I can’t craft for the life of me…” Hyunjin sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“That will make it even more fun!” Jeongin laughed.</p><p> </p><p>They put on their jackets and went outside. <em> Damn it’s pretty cold already, although winter just started, </em>he thought and rubbed his hands together, but he was glad to do this while Jeongin was still here. The youngest would leave to his parents tomorrow since his parents lived far away and couldn’t come visit often. </p><p> </p><p>"Damn, it's cold isn't it?" Jisung shivered although he was wearing like five layers of clothing. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, but you have no fat on your body." Minho teased and sighed. "Unlike Changbin…" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin snorted. "Yeah it's cold, but luckily Seungmin makes me feel warm." </p><p> </p><p>The tall boy emphasized his words by walking as close to Seungmin as he possibly could and linking their arms at which Minho sighed again. Jisung grinned at his friends dramatics when he got a genius (Jinius) idea to make himself warmer. </p><p> </p><p>"Race to the shop!" He announced and began running. </p><p> </p><p>He couldn't help but laugh hearing his friends groan and yell at him. When he looked behind him, he saw Chan, Felix and Hyunjin running after him, while Minho, Seungmin and Jeongin were still casually walking. Chan was getting dangerously close with his damned fast legs, and Jisung took it as a challenge. <em> Chan may be fast, but I'm not bad either.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan eventually won, but Jisung was pretty proud to say it was a close game. He was <em> completely </em>exhausted, though, so, since he was too embarrassed to lie down on the floor in the shop, he leaned on Chan with all his weight. The older boy let out a startled sound and stumbled before sagging on the ground with Jisung on top of him. </p><p> </p><p>"Chan, you’re supposed to be strong…" Jisung whined. It wasn't really any less embarrassing to lie on top of your friend on the floor while both panting, but at least he wasn't alone. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey, I'm just as tired as you are." Chan panted. "At least you're warm now, right?" </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah okay, that's right." Jisung admitted. "And you sprinting past me helped a lot, I really gave my all." </p><p> </p><p>"Same." </p><p> </p><p>They chuckled and rested on top of each other until the rest arrived, ignoring the questioning looks of other customers. <em> Channie is the best at making me warm, isn't he? </em> Jisung smiled to himself, <em> maybe because he's a warm person.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Where are Jisung and—" Hyunjin entered the store with Felix and snorted. "Guys, we're in public!" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung and Chan laughed and got up, Jisung dramatically offering his hand to Chan like a gentleman. Chan just laughed as he let himself be pulled up. </p><p> </p><p>The rest arrived not much later and they picked the cheapest fake christmas tree they could find, and after some deliberation they also decided to craft <em> all </em>the decorations, so they bought some colored paper and other craft stuff and left for the dorm again. </p><p> </p><p>Jeongin immediately eagerly began working on crafting some decorations and the rest couldn't help but smile at the excited boy. Minho said he would make drawings of everyone, Chan would make a star for on top of the tree, Seungmin would help Hyunjin make a colorful garland, and Jisung, Felix and Jeongin said they would just make whatever. </p><p> </p><p>"Look! I made a mistletoe!" Jeongin grinned after a while and held his work above Seungmin and Hyunjin. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh no! Now I <em> have </em>to give you a kiss!" Hyunjin gasped at his boyfriend. </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin just grinned and leaned forward, ready to accept the kiss. It wasn't really an amazing kiss because they were both smiling and Minho groaned through it, but it looked sweet. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh wait! Can anyone take a picture?" Hyunjin asked, at which Jisung nodded and got his phone out. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh no, now we have to do it again." Seungmin said in the most sarcastic voice Jisung had ever heard. </p><p> </p><p>Their do-over looked like it went better, less smiling into the kiss, but just as much groaning Minho. </p><p> </p><p>"Anyone else wants to be under the mistletoe?" Jeongin wiggled his eyebrows and his creation. </p><p> </p><p>Jisung involuntarily looked towards Chan. Why? Maybe he finally admitted to himself that he might have caught some feelings for the older. Maybe he realized that all those warm feelings he especially felt with Chan meant something other than friendly happiness, and maybe he realized that he wouldn’t mind it if Chan gave him a kiss, or the other way around. When did he realize this? Just now. <em> Should I say something? </em>—</p><p> </p><p>“Yes I want to be under the mistletoe with Bin.” Minho said and held up his kind of ugly drawing of Changbin. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’ll take a pic of that too.” Jisung said, snapping out of his trance. <em> Binnie would like to see this after the break, I think.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Jeongin walked over to Minho with his drawing while Jisung got ready to take photos. </p><p> </p><p>“I hope Bin will recognize himself.” Hyunjin laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey! My drawings are almost indistinguishable from the real deal!” Minho said after he was done taking the pictures and held up his drawings.</p><p> </p><p>Everyone bursted out in laughter as they saw the drawings Minho made. They weren’t even <em> that </em> bad, but they were just so <em> weird. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Why is my nose so big?” Chan managed to ask between his breathy laughs.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh my god, Hyunjin looks just like himself!” Jeongin laughed. </p><p> </p><p>“And Jeongin is just as ugly as he really is!” Seungmin teased.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I think they really look a little alike.” Felix said. “You can clearly see our unique features in the drawings!”</p><p> </p><p>Felixs comment elicited both protests and cheers. It also brought a fierce discussion about what everyones most characteristic features were, and Jisung totally forgot about any thoughts he had had about Chan and mistletoes.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>After they were done laughing and bickering, they went to decorate the tree. Jisung saw Minho whisper something to Jeongin, but he didn’t pay much mind to it. They had made way too many decorations to fit on the flimsy little tree, so instead of an ugly tree, they had a less ugly tree shaped pile of decorations. The decorations they had left that didn't fit on the tree anymore would be used elsewhere in the room. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, not bad I would say." Jisung said as Chan put the star on top of the tree. </p><p> </p><p>"It's kind of your style isn't it? Colorful and all over the place." Minho said and poked his elbow into Jisungs side. </p><p> </p><p>"Ack!" Jisung jumped. "Why—" </p><p> </p><p>Before he could finish his sentence, Minho poked his side again, now with a tiny finger. </p><p> </p><p>"Eek!" Jisung jumped again and hid behind a crouching Chan upon seeing Minhos finger coming closer again. "Channie save me." </p><p> </p><p>Chan looked behind him from where he was adjusting some decorations on the tree/decoration pile and laughed when seeing Minhos ominous finger. </p><p> </p><p>"Don't worry, I'll protect you like dream-Chan does." He chuckled and continued with his work, arms hovering around Jisung. </p><p> </p><p>"Hmmm, where shall we hang the mistletoe— oh! Chan, Jisung didn't see you there!" Jeongin gasped and Jisung looked past Chans arms to see Jeongin standing on his toes with the mistletoe above him and Chan. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh! Now you two have to kiss too!" Minho gasped too but it sounded really fake. <em> Did Minho and Jeongin plan this? Did Minho see me look at Chan?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Chan stood up and looked at the mistletoe with wide eyes, then back at Minho and Jeongin, and then at Jisung before casting his eyes down. </p><p> </p><p>"We— we don't have to—"</p><p> </p><p>"You think my mistletoe is not worthy? Not real?" Jeongin pouted. </p><p> </p><p>"No! No, it's worthy! It's real! And beautiful!" Chan assured in a panicked voice and Jisung couldn't help but chuckle. "But— it doesn't have to be on the lips, right?" </p><p> </p><p><em> Ah, Chan doesn't want that? Well, I don't mind giving one on the cheek, </em> he thought, so when Chan turned around again, he gave him a kiss on the cheek. Chan yelped and turned bright red, making Jisung giggle. <em> Damn, I want to do it again. I also want to give everyone kisses now, that was fun! But maybe I should contain myself…  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Well, I <em> do </em>think that hanging the mistletoe close to the tree is a good idea?" Felix offered. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah that's why I'm standing here." Jeongin deadpanned, although Jisung guessed it wasn't the whole truth. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah well, whether they schemed this or not, I got to give Channie a kiss. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"You know? I think that you guys are there so long, you should give another kiss." Minho said while Seungmin grabbed a chair for Jeongin to stand on to hang up the mistletoe. </p><p> </p><p><em> Yes, Minho! Nice! </em>Jisung looked at Chan expectantly, but the older just looked panicked again so Jisung gave a kiss on the other cheek. Chan let out another yelp and slapped a hand in front of his mouth, and Jisung burst into laughter. </p><p> </p><p>"I actually meant that Chan should give you a kiss back, but okay." Minho laughed. "Maybe if you stay there for even longer he'll do it." </p><p> </p><p>Chan sputtered something incomprehensible and moved away from under the mistletoe. Jisung was a little disappointed, but not surprised, Chan probably couldn't handle any more kisses. <em> And he didn't seem disgusted? So that's good.  </em></p><p> </p><p>"I don't mind if you give one back, though." Jisung said without thinking. <em> Oh okay I said that out loud.  </em></p><p> </p><p>He saw something flicker in Chans eyes, it was too brief for Jisung to decipher, but he didn’t move and Jisung felt his head get hot in embarrassment. <em> Shit, did I go too far? Is he uncomfortable now?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." He mumbled and looked down at his feet. "Did—" </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly he felt a hand on his cheek and when he looked up, Chan was already well on his way in bringing his lips to the other cheek. Jisung did his best to not yelp like Chan did, but still a muffled squeak came out as he felt Chans plump lips on his cheek. </p><p><br/>He felt like his mind was malfunctioning, he hadn't expected Chan to do this and especially not with a hand on his cheek. It took a moment for Jisung to notice that it was over as the feeling lingered on his skin. He couldn't help but smile, and he saw Minho give him a knowing nod and smile. <em> Thanks, Minho. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)))))))</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0022"><h2>22. The best date I have ever had</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He basked in the warmth of having Hyunjin so close to him, closing his eyes for a moment to focus on the way Hyunjin felt against him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Hyunjin had had the same idea as his eyes were closed and he was slightly smiling as he hummed along with the music. He's really beautiful, isn't he? </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin couldn't help but close the small gap that was still between them, eliciting a small 'oh' from Hyunjin before he returned the kiss. Hyunjins lips felt soft as ever on his as Seungmin crossed his arms behind Hyunjins head, pulling them as close to each other as possible. Finally they were able to enjoy a moment alone together and kiss properly, so they stretched it for as long as they could, enjoying how their lips moved over each other. In that moment, Seungmin felt like everything was perfect.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>almost 3.5 k of seungjin goodness</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hyunjin! Wake up!" </p><p> </p><p><em> Hmm? </em>Hyunjin slowly opened his eyes and groaned lightly. He felt a hand brush his hair out of his face. When his eyes had adjusted to the light, he saw Seungmin greet him with a warm smile. </p><p> </p><p>"Hey there sleepy head. Did you forget what day it is today?" Seungmin asked teasingly. </p><p> </p><p><em> Huh..? </em> Hyunjin blinked a few times while trying to get his mind into reality. <em> What day— of course!  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah!" He yelled and sat up. "Our date! Sorry sorry sorry I am going to take a shower <em> right </em>now!" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin laughed and looked like he wanted to say something, but Hyunjin jumped up and ran past him to the bathroom— which was locked. </p><p> </p><p>"Who is in there? I need to get ready for my date!" Hyunjin yelled. </p><p> </p><p><em> "Yeah yeah, almost ready!" </em>Minhos voice sounded, and not long after the door opened. "Already starting off the date with oversleeping?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin opened his mouth to answer, but Seungmin beat him to it. </p><p> </p><p>"It's fine, I took that into account. I still need to get ready as well." Seungmin chuckled, and Minho shrugged and left. "Now go shower, Jinnie!" </p><p> </p><p>The brown-haired boy lightly pushed him into the bathroom and after being flabbergasted for a second, Hyunjin got undressed and into the shower. </p><p> </p><p>A big smile appeared on his face in anticipation for today. He would go on a date with Seungmin today. They had planned it a few days ago and they would go to the neighborhood where Seungmins parents lived, since they wanted to get to know each other better and Hyunjins neighborhood was definitely a no go. They wouldn't be able to do much in public in terms of affection, but Hyunjin didn't mind just talking with Seungmin and listening to him tell about the place he grew up. But it wouldn't be a date if they couldn't do anything, so they would also have dinner at Seungmins house because his parents wouldn't be home. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>When Hyunjin was done with showering, he quickly got dressed in his nicest clothing, even though they would be obscured by his jacket for most of the day, and styled his hair nicely. <em> Should I put on some makeup too? </em>Hyunjin decided to keep it light so that people wouldn't stare, but enough so that he looked extra nice. </p><p> </p><p>He met Seungmin in the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, feeling breath get knocked out of his lungs. Seungmin looked gorgeous. He looked fancier than the time he performed his song for Hyunjin, having his hair out of his face and wearing the blouse Seungmin told him he only weared on special occasions. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh wow, you look amazing, Hyunjin." Seungmin breathed, looking just as awestruck as Hyunjin felt. </p><p> </p><p>"So do you." Hyunjin managed to answer. "And you're wearing your special occasion blouse?" </p><p> </p><p>"Isn't this a special occasion?" Seungmin asked as he approached Hyunjin and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear, making Hyunjin blush and swoon. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin just stared at the other, taking in his beautiful face, when Seungmin let out a little giggle. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's go, Hyunjin." </p><p> </p><p>They left the dorm packed in warm coats, scarfs and gloves, and headed to the bus stop. Luckily it wasn't that busy in the morning so Hyunjin could sneakily grab his boyfriends hand while they sat together in the bus. He was a little annoyed at the fact that they were wearing gloves, though. </p><p> </p><p>It was also pretty quiet in Seungmins hometown, so Seungmin suggested that they could keep holding hands. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah? You're not afraid people will recognize you?" Hyunjin asked, looking around. </p><p> </p><p>"Nah, we're wearing winter clothes and I don't really care if people recognize me." Seungmin shrugged. "I don't think the people who know me would make a big deal out of it. Or— are you uncomfortable with it?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin shook his head. "No. I like holding your hand and no one knows me here so it's fine. Maybe with my long hair they'll even think I'm a girl!" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin chuckled and Hyunjin squeezed their hands. </p><p> </p><p>"Well then," He continued. "Tell me about your hometown, about your friends and about how the people wouldn't make a big deal out of things." </p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Hyunjin intently listened to Seungmin tell him all about where he grew up, he showed him the playground he always played at with his friends, he told him about his baseball club where he played baseball until he moved to the dorms, about the café his parents would take him and his sister every year on his sisters birthday while they had lunch there, and about many things more. Hyunjin felt like he could listen to Seungmin talk all day long. </p><p> </p><p>"Seungmin! Long time no see!" The waitress at the café greeted them. "I see you've brought a friend, as your sister had already told me." </p><p> </p><p>"Hey Yeona." Seungmin greeted back. "Yeah, this is Hyunjin. Has my sister already told you everything?" </p><p> </p><p>"No no, only that you would probably be visiting with a good friend." Yeona smiled. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Hyunjin, I'm Yeona, friend of Seungmins sister." </p><p> </p><p>"Nice to meet you!" Hyunjin smiled back, this woman seemed nice. </p><p> </p><p>Yeona took their orders and left to get them. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you think your sister has told her about us?" Hyunjin asked, purely out of curiosity. Seungmin had asked him if he could tell his sister about them, or rather, about the fact that he had a boyfriend, because he shared almost everything with his sister. Of course Hyunjin had agreed. </p><p> </p><p>"No, I don't think so. She wouldn't do that." Seungmin shook his head. "But if she did, Yeona is a sweetheart, I don't think she'd judge." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, just curious." Hyunjin nodded, <em> of course Seungmins sister wouldn't do something like that. </em>He was glad Seungmin had been surrounded by kind people during his childhood, so he said so. </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, I'm glad too." Seungmin smiled and then looked a little apologetic. "Was that… not the case for you?" </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, no it wasn't that bad." Hyunjin waved off. "My parents are relatively nice, and I didn't really know any better than eat fancy food and, yeah, 'live the rich life'. It got a little harder when I realized that I was gay, but Changbin helped me through that, so my childhood wasn't that bad." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay, that's good." Seungmin reached a hand over the table and massaged Hyunjins. </p><p> </p><p>"Here's your order!" Yeona announced and Hyunjin jumped a little while Seungmin quickly removed his hand. "Ah, sorry for startling you guys, I hope I didn't interrupt anything. Anyway, enjoy your meal and your time." </p><p> </p><p>She set down their lunch and shortly patted a hand on Seungmins shoulder before leaving. They gave each other a look before both giggling, knowing Yeona was onto them. </p><p> </p><p>They took their sweet time, talking and laughing so much they sometimes forgot to eat, but they didn't mind. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>"Ah, look at the time." Seungmin chuckled when they left the cafeteria. "I had planned a lot in case we were done earlier, but that's okay. This lunch was one of the most fun lunches I have ever had." </p><p> </p><p>"Really?" Hyunjin was surprised, although he felt the same. "Me too, although you could've just hurried me up." </p><p> </p><p>"I was just as slow. It's really okay, I was kind of afraid to bore you with my original planning anyway." The younger chuckled and grabbed his hand to signal him to follow him to the next destination. </p><p> </p><p>"I don't think you would have." Hyunjin smiled as he let himself be pulled along gently. "As long as you have stories to tell— no, even if you don't, I just like being around you. It makes me feel relaxed, it makes me feel warm." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin slowed his pace, not that he was walking particularly fast, and looked back with a slightly surprised look, it was cute. Then a warm smile appeared on his face, contrasting with the cold winter air. </p><p> </p><p>"I like being around you as well."</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin completely stopped walking, giving Hyunjin the opportunity to close the distance between them almost completely. Hyunjin quickly looked around and pulled his boyfriend towards a nearby alleyway to give him a short kiss, already pulling away before Seungmin had the time to react. The way the youngers eyes were slightly widened and his hand was hovering next to Hyunjins face made Hyunjin smile. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. "If you're going to pull me into an alleyway to kiss me, please kiss me properly." </p><p> </p><p>"Of course~" Hyunjin grinned and closed the gap between them again. </p><p> </p><p>They were both smiling into the kiss, but Hyunjin enjoyed it. They both wanted it to last longer, but their hiding spot wasn't the best one, so they parted before their smiles had fully faded. </p><p> </p><p>"The more we deviate from my initial planning, the more fun we have." Seungmin smiled and led them back out. </p><p> </p><p>"I guess you're boring after all." Hyunjin teased, earning an exaggerated offended look only. He was really enjoying this date already. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They continued their walk and it looked like they were heading towards a grocery shop. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I had planned that we would make dinner together?" Seungmin asked rather than said. "I hope that's not too boring. We can also do something else if you'd rather have that." </p><p> </p><p>Even though Seungmin chuckled a little, Hyunjin felt that his boyfriend had gotten a bit insecure. </p><p> </p><p>"No, that sounds fun." Hyunjin smiled, and he had the urge to give his boyfriend a kiss. "If you're okay with me possibly ruining our dinner." </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin let out a laugh. "It's not like <em> I'm </em>the best cook, but together we'll survive, I think. I've asked Felix for tips beforehand." </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, of course you're prepared." Hyunjin couldn't help but give the other a quick hug. "Well then, chef Kim, what's on the menu?" </p><p> </p><p>The younger grinned widely and Hyunjin was glad he wasn't feeling insecure anymore. They bought some ingredients for the pasta they would be making and headed towards Seungmins house. </p><p>As soon as Seungmin closed the door, Hyunjin enveloped his boyfriend in a hug, nuzzled his nose against his cheek and planted kisses all over his face. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, Hyunjin, the groceries." Seungmin giggled, but didn't try to push him away. Instead, he even found Hyunjins lips with his own for a short kiss, but when Hyunjin lingered and Seungmin grinned after, Hyunjin realized the kiss was probably meant as a distraction. It worked as Seungmin managed to escape with the groceries. </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin quickly hurried after the other to help. <em> Just be a little more patient, Hyunjin.  </em></p><p>Well, patient wasn't really the best word to describe it since cooking together with Seungmin was fun too, but he was also looking forward to letting Seungmin know how much he enjoyed the date, and it wasn't even over yet. </p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Their teamwork was surprisingly well as they prepared their pasta dinner according to Felixs recipe, but Seungmin wasn't that surprised. He felt comfortable with Hyunjin, and he thought Hyunjin was comfortable with him too. He also wouldn't judge Hyunjin for making mistakes, and although sometimes Hyunjin would tease him a little, Seungmin knew that he wasn't serious, and Hyunjin would praise him extra when he did something right, showering him with kisses until Seungmin hid his head in his hands from embarrassment. Seungmin wasn't used to all this affection yet, but if it was Hyunjin, he would allow anything. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>When dinner was ready, he asked Hyunjin to set the table while he got some candles to light and readied the playlist he made to play in the background. He included the slower tracks that Chan and Changbin had made, some songs from his favorite band, and some songs from artists that Hyunjin told him he liked. </p><p> </p><p>"Candles?" Hyunjin asked when he saw what Seungmin was doing. "How romantic, Minnie." </p><p> </p><p>"I know you like things like that." Seungmin smiled. "And because I want to distract you from my not so romantic looking house." </p><p> </p><p>The taller snorted. "I would be looking at you only anyway." </p><p> </p><p>That comment made blood rush towards Seungmins cheeks. </p><p> </p><p>"Let's go eat." </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>They ate in comfortable silence at first, Seungmin admiring the way the candlelight enhanced Hyunjins soft and handsome features, and butterflies invaded his stomach whenever his boyfriend smiled at him. The ambience reminded Seungmin a little of when he had asked Hyunjin to help him figure out his feelings. </p><p> </p><p>"Mmm, we did a great job, even if I say so myself." Hyunjin grinned, mouth full of pasta. </p><p> </p><p>"We did, huh? Remind me to thank Felix for the recipe." Seungmin nodded and reached out to grab Hyunjins hand. "To be honest, I think I like this more than going to a fancy restaurant." </p><p> </p><p>The dancer brushed his thumb over the back of his hand. "Me too." </p><p> </p><p>"Yeah?" Seungmin asked. His and Hyunjins tastes were a little different usually, and Seungmin had tried his best to plan a date they would both enjoy, although he was sure anything would be fine as long as they were together. </p><p> </p><p>"Of course." The older boy answered, expression soft and fond, still lightly massaging his hand. "You have no idea how much I enjoyed this date, Minnie. I feel like I got to know you even better, and—" He gave Seungmins hand a squeeze. "I feel like the more I do, the more I like you, and I already like you a <em> lot. </em>" </p><p> </p><p>"Hyunjin…" Seungmin felt a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. Hyunjin always managed to take him by surprise with his sweet words, although by now Seungmin should expect it, but still, Seungmin could never completely comprehend that Hyunjin really thought those things, even though Seungmin felt the same about him. </p><p> </p><p>He silently cursed the fact that they were still eating, because Seungmin wanted nothing more than to wrap Hyunjin in his arms and kiss him, but he had to do with holding his hand and looking at him for now. </p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>When they finally finished their food, Seungmin had calmed down enough to put their plates and cutlery in the dishwasher before returning his attention to his boyfriend. To his surprise, Hyunjin took him by the hands and dragged him back to the living room to dance to the music that was still playing. </p><p> </p><p>“Maybe you should plan the dates from now on.” Seungmin grinned, letting the dancer wrap his arms around his waist while he wrapped them around Hyunjins neck. </p><p> </p><p>“Nah, it’s all teamwork.” Hyunjin grinned back and moved closer to him, nuzzling his nose against Seungmins. “You bring me to all these ideas.”</p><p> </p><p>Seungmin just hummed in response, already too much enthralled by their slow-dance. He wasn't necessarily a good dancer, but with Hyunjin he didn't have to think, he could just shut his mind off and let all his senses be taken over by the other. They got lost in each others eyes as they leaned their foreheads against each other. </p><p> </p><p>He basked in the warmth of having Hyunjin so close to him, closing his eyes for a moment to focus on the way Hyunjin felt against him. When he opened his eyes again, he saw Hyunjin had had the same idea as his eyes were closed and he was slightly smiling as he hummed along with the music. <em> He's really beautiful, isn't he?  </em></p><p> </p><p>Seungmin couldn't help but close the small gap that was still between them, eliciting a small 'oh' from Hyunjin before he returned the kiss. Hyunjins lips felt soft as ever on his as Seungmin crossed his arms behind Hyunjins head, pulling them as close to each other as possible. Finally they were able to enjoy a moment alone together and kiss properly, so they stretched it for as long as they could, enjoying how their lips moved over each other. In that moment, Seungmin felt like everything was perfect.</p><p> </p><p>Their kisses were slow enough to be able to breathe in between, but after a while, Seungmin had no idea how long it had been, they parted, still remaining as close to each other as they could. Seungmin wanted this slow-dance to never end.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m so in love with you, Seungmin.” Hyunjin whispered. </p><p> </p><p>“Me too.” Seungmin smiled. “I’m so in love with you too.”</p><p> </p><p><span>They held their gaze for a while until</span> Hyunjin averted his gaze from Seungmin and furrowed his brows a little. <em> Huh? </em></p><p> </p><p>“What’s wrong, Jinnie?” </p><p> </p><p>The dancer pressed his lips together, but looked Seungmin in the eyes again.</p><p> </p><p>“I think I want to tell my parents.”</p><p> </p><p>Seungmins eyes widened a little. <em> Oh wow, that’s a big step. </em></p><p> </p><p>“I don’t want to hide this, I don’t even think I can, really.” Hyunjin continued. “Maybe it’ll even help Bin, but that’s not the main reason I want to do it. I want them to know because I don’t want to hide from them how much I like you.”</p><p> </p><p>His words spread warmth through Seungmin, even though he should maybe be a little nervous.</p><p> </p><p>“I feel the same. I think I want to tell my parents as well. With the help of my sister I think that will go fine.” Seungmin answered and brought a hand to his boyfriends cheek. “But be safe, okay Jinnie? Please don’t recklessly drop the bomb, I don’t want you to be in danger because of me.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded against his forehead.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I won’t. I’ll first test the waters, ask what they think about Minho or something.” He said and leaned into Seungmins touch. “But I also trust my parents that they won’t hurt me, so don’t worry Minnie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, good.” </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin closed his eyes again and let his hand brush over Hyunjins cheek. He felt Hyunjins lips brush over his again, and he gladly accepted the gesture. This time they kept it shorter as it was getting late, but not too short.</p><p> </p><p>They reluctantly let go of each other, stopped the music and blew out the candles to get ready to sleep. Hyunjin would be staying over, because why not? </p><p>Seungmin led them to the bathroom to brush their teeth and remove their makeup. </p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, I still have to get a spare mattress for me to sleep on, you can sleep in my bed.” Seungmin said. His parents had a double bed and his sister also had a bigger room, but it would feel weird if they slept in his parents or sisters bed.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, well, I don’t mind sharing a single bed.” Hyunjin said and peeked inside Seungmins room. “It doesn’t look that narrow, and with this cold it would be nice to have someone to cuddle? Unless you don’t want to.”</p><p> </p><p>“No, you’re right. I don’t mind either, but I’ll get the extra mattress anyway, just in case one of us gets fed up with it.” Seungmin smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up at the thought of sharing a bed. He didn’t think one of them would get fed up, but Seungmin didn’t like not being prepared even for the situations with the smallest chances of occuring. “Oh yeah, you can borrow a pair of my pyjamas. They’re in stashed in the top drawer there.”</p><p> </p><p>When he had gotten the mattress and extra blankets and pillows, he plopped them down next to his bed. He saw Hyunjin wearing one of his big T-shirts and a pair of pyjama pants, and it somehow felt kind of intimate seeing Hyunjin in his clothes. Seungmin quickly got changed and joined Hyunjin on his bed, the older boy immediately taking him in his arms.</p><p> </p><p>“This was the best date I have ever had.” Hyunjin smiled, snuggling against Seungmin. “And our other one the second best one.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve had other dates?” Seungmin laughed, but he was genuinely curious.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, a few in high school and middle school yeah.” His boyfriend answered. “I always felt so bad for the people confessing, so I thought back then ‘why not try it?’. The dates weren’t that bad, but they helped me realize that I didn’t like girls, haha!”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, but then there’s not really any competition for this date, is there?” Seungmin turned to face Hyunjin. “Although I do get your statement, and I agree, although I have never been on any other dates.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, no there’s not really any competition no, but what I’m trying to say is that it would be very hard to top this date.” </p><p> </p><p>“Challenge accepted?” Seungmin grinned.</p><p> </p><p>“Challenge accepted.” Hyunjin grinned back and wrapped his limbs around Seungmin and hid his head in Seungmins neck. “Good night, Minnie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good night, Jinnie.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0023"><h2>23. Is he already cheating on me while we’re not even together?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Huh? What is Minho doing?” Changbin asked and squinted at the drawing. “Is he already cheating on me while we’re not even together?”</p><p>“No! He’s kissing a drawing of you!” Hyunjin laughed and scrolled to the next picture, showing all the drawings Minho had made.</p><p>Changbins cheeks got red for a moment, but that soon changed when he saw the rest of the drawings. The shorter burst out in laughter like they had done at the dorm too.</p><p>“Can you guess who is who?” </p><p>He couldn’t.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hyunjin goes to his parents too</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The next morning, Hyunjin was woken up by a light kiss on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open, rapidly blinking against the light that streamed in from the crack between the curtains. <em> I’m holding something..?  </em></p><p>Another kiss on his cheek. <em> Ah, Seungmin. </em>A big grin appeared on Hyunjins face as he realized where he was and who he was holding. He blinked one last time before his eyes were used to the light and he was greeted by a cute smiling boyfriend.</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning, Jinnie.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning, Minnie.” He answered and gave a few slow kisses to Seungmins face. “What a nice way to wake up.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m glad I didn’t have to resort to screaming. Or violence.” Seungmin chuckled. “Anyway, I think we want to get dressed. Jihyo would be at the dorms around 2, right?”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin hummed in confirmation. He didn’t want to let go of his boyfriend yet, but knowing Seungmin he wouldn’t allow that. <em> And maybe I also don’t want to keep Jihyo waiting. </em></p><p>Seungmin already began sitting up, but Hyunjin stopped him. </p><p> </p><p>“One more kiss before we get up?” He pouted.</p><p> </p><p>“Fine, one more kiss.” Seungmin rolled his eyes but smiled when he gave Hyunjin a short kiss on his lips.</p><p> </p><p>That gave Hyunjin the energy to get up and get dressed. Seungmin had woken him up in time for him to take a quick shower, which his parents would very much appreciate. After he came out of the shower, he saw that his boyfriend had prepared some simple breakfast / brunch for them to eat before Hyunjin would leave.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want me to go along to the dorms?” Seungmin asked when they were putting on their coats and scarfs and stuff. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, no that’s not necessary.” Hyunjin shook his head. “You’re parents and sister will come home soon, right? I’ll manage getting to the dorms, you enjoy your time with your family.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, then I’ll just walk you to the bus stop.” Seungmin nodded and went to the front door and then turned to Hyunjin. “Oh yeah, we probably have to kiss goodbye here?”</p><p> </p><p><em> Oh, that’s right. </em>Hyunjin had almost forgotten that out in public wasn’t really a good place to kiss his boyfriend. He hurried towards Seungmin, who accepted him in his arms and connected their lips for a moment. He felt that they both didn't want to let go again, but they had to. </p><p> </p><p>"Thank you for everything, Minnie." Hyunjin smiled as they left for the bus stop. "I think I will be thinking about this day— and you the whole break." </p><p> </p><p>He saw Seungmins cheeks turn a light pink. </p><p> </p><p>"Me too." He said and momentarily held Hyunjins hand. "Well, have fun with your family, and say hi to Changbin for me. And…" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmin paused and looked down for a moment. "And take care, okay?" </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded. "I will." </p><p>He looked to see the bus already arriving. "You have fun with your family too." He turned around before entering the bus one last time. "And I'll be thinking about you!" </p><p> </p><p>Seungmins eyes widened comically as he got flustered at Hyunjins words, looking around him to see if anyone heard. Hyunjin smiled widely as he sat down in the bus, waving at his boyfriend until he was out of sight. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>He checked his phone for the first time in a while and saw that Changbin had sent some texts, a few from yesterday and one from today. Hyunjin was the designated messenger for Changbin, since Changbins parents wouldn't be suspicious if he texted him. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Under heavy surveillance and got like ten lectures, but it seems like theyve calmed down since the showcase </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ill talk to them today </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I talked to my parents and it went well!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Theyre considerably more convinced that rapping can make money (and that it makes me happy), but they want to get my grades from the tests and showcase too </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> But im confident that everything in regard to that will be fine :)  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Looking forward to seeing you today!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin smiled at the texts, luckily everything was going well for Changbin. At least his parents would probably let Changbin do what he's passionate about. <em> I'll definitely tell Minho and the rest about this!  </em></p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin wondered if Changbin would have the guts to also try and ask his parents about Minho. <em> I hope I will be able to help with that.  </em></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When he arrived back at the dorms it was a little more than half an hour until Jihyo would arrive. Of course Jisung, Chan, Felix and Minho immediately flooded him with questions about his date, which Hyunjin gladly answered in detail. Before they knew it, Hyunjin got a text that Jihyo had arrived.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, I guess that’s also our cue to go?” Chan looked at the others. They would leave together with Hyunjin to their respective families to celebrate christmas.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Wait, before I go— I’ve got updates from Bin.” Hyunjin remembered when he looked at his texts. “He’s doing well, he says, and the talk with his parents went well too. He said his parents still want to know his grades, though.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, then I can be a little less stressed when I go to my family.” Minho let out a breathy laugh.</p><p> </p><p>“Same.” The rest agreed.</p><p> </p><p>They all hugged each other goodbye, wished each other happy holidays and left the dorm. Hyunjin greeted Jihyo in the hall.</p><p> </p><p>“Let me take those bags for you.” She said and took Hyunjins stuff.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, of course.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin had almost forgotten that his stuff used to be carried all the time, but he thought he would probably quickly get used to his old life in the week that he would be staying.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>When Hyunjin got home, he greeted his parents with a big hug, something his parents luckily accepted unlike Changbins parents. He talked about trivial stuff, like how his classes and tests had gone, if he had gotten any grades back, bla bla. That didn’t take very long though, because, again unlike Changbin, he often updated his parents about things that would happen, but when that was done Changbin was already at their door to hang out.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin was also greeted with a hug, and they soon retreated to Hyunjins room. There they of course told each other everything about what the other had missed while they were away while laughing and joking around, and Hyunjin showed the photos they had taken with the mistletoe.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? What is Minho doing?” Changbin asked and squinted at the drawing. “Is he already cheating on me while we’re not even together?”</p><p> </p><p>“No! He’s kissing a drawing of you!” Hyunjin laughed and scrolled to the next picture, showing all the drawings Minho had made.</p><p> </p><p>Changbins cheeks got red for a moment, but that soon changed when he saw the rest of the drawings. The shorter burst out in laughter like they had done at the dorm too.</p><p> </p><p>“Can you guess who is who?” </p><p> </p><p>He couldn’t. <em> I’m definitely texting this to Minho, </em>Hyunjin grinned. Then he told Changbin about his date with Seungmin in excruciating detail, even more than he had to the others because now he had more time and he felt comfortable sharing everything with Changbin. Now Jeongin was the only one who still hadn’t heard how their date went, but he got the privilege of hearing about it from Seungmins perspective.</p><p> </p><p>“...And we’re both planning on telling our parents.” Hyunjin ended his story.</p><p> </p><p>Changbins mouth fell open. “You are? I mean— I get that with how you talked about Seungmin… but still, it requires some courage.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but isn’t it like you are planning to hint at your parents too? That requires even more courage, I think.” Hyunjin said. “But Seungmin definitely gives me the courage. I plan on asking a bit about Minho or something first of course, maybe it’ll help your case too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, yeah that would be nice, but don’t do it for me, yeah?” Changbin patted a hand on Hyunjins leg. “I will talk to my sister first too, I think, because I really want this now it’s going well with convincing my parents about rap, I at least want them to accept that Minho is my friend.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin nodded, he understood how his friend felt, because their reasons for wanting to talk to their parents were similar. </p><p> </p><p>“Do you want me to be there when you talk to your parents? Or, at least when you bring up Minho?” Changbin asked.</p><p> </p><p>After a moment of pondering Hyunjin shook his head. “Maybe they’ll ask about your opinion or something and then they will maybe prematurely expose you to your parents too soon. Thanks for offering, though, but I’ll manage by myself.”</p><p> </p><p>His friend opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by a buzz of his phone. </p><p> </p><p>“Ah, my parents want me home before dinner, although that won’t be in another hour.” He said, sighing. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, I want you out now." Hyunjin teased. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin gasped and pushed him over with like fifty whiny comments. </p><p> </p><p>"Aww, baby Binnie is whiny because he missed me?" Hyunjin laughed. </p><p> </p><p>The shorter crossed his arms and huffed. "Not only you— it's hard being with my parents without my friends, especially when I'm used to seeing you guys every day." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah, that's true of course.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Well, then it's good that I'm here now, both to give you the attention that you need and to be your contact with the outside world." Hyunjin grinned. "I'll definitely be texting Minho that you didn't recognize his drawings. Should I soften the devastating blow with that you miss him?" </p><p> </p><p>Changbin seemed to slightly malfunction at the mention of Minho, he had probably been trying to ban the dancer out of his mind for the last few days. The small boy flopped down with a sigh. </p><p> </p><p>"Just— just say that I miss everyone." He breathed. "I will probably die if he says he misses me too." </p><p> </p><p>"You two are both so dramatic." Hyunjin laughed as he texted Minho. "And you say <em> I'm </em>dramatic." </p><p> </p><p>"You just went on an hour rant about how you love Seungmin, I think you win." </p><p> </p><p>"Okay yeah, but it's just because Seungmin is so damn cute, so actually Seungmin wins." </p><p> </p><p>Changbins mouth fell open in offense. "Minho is <em> way </em> — okay maybe not <em> way </em> cuter, but he is <em> so— </em> wait— I don't even want to talk about this!" </p><p> </p><p>The rappers cheeks were dusted pink and Hyunjin couldn't help but laugh. </p><p> </p><p>"But Minho wins. You're naturally dramatic and I'm not, so." He muttered after. </p><p> </p><p>"Binnie is dramatic in his own ways!" Hyunjin cooed. "You're just a big baby who misses his kisses and cuddles from Minho, huh? Well, not so big—"</p><p> </p><p>"Ya!" Changbin cut him off and pushed him over, face red. "I said I don't want to talk about— him." He sighed and looked down. "We're— we're not— together, but we're already acting like we are and maybe that was a bad idea because what if I can't convince my parents? What if they draw the line there? What if Minho—" </p><p> </p><p>"Bin." Hyunjin stopped the other. "We'll see, don't fret about things you don't have control over. I know you don't want your parents to hurt Minho or something, but you're an adult, you're almost graduated from college, they can't control you forever so I think things will be fine eventually. Maybe you <em> can </em>even convince them, who knows? Just see how things pan out until you decide what to do with Minho. That was your original plan, right?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, you're right." Changbin sighed. "Sometimes I just get stressed about things because I've never felt like this about someone before." </p><p> </p><p>"Understandable." </p><p> </p><p>Not long after, Changbin had to leave to be home for dinner and Hyunjin went down to have dinner as well. He took a deep breath to calm the nerves that were creeping up on him in anticipation of asking his parents about Minho, dreading the fact that he might have to bring up the fact that Minho liked boys himself if his parents didn't mention it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bit of a cliffhanger :o</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0024"><h2>24. Please let some christmas miracle or whatever happen</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“We’re not as extreme as the Seos that we forbid you of doing things, even if we don’t necessarily agree. You can always go to us for advice, though. We’re here for you, you know that, right?”<br/> </p><p>"Yes, I know." Hyunjin smiled. Does this mean that I can tell them? Gosh, his heart was pounding fast. He wasn't lying when he said he knew his parents would be there for him, but still, the fact that they didn't really know what to say about gay people and potential influence of Changbins parents made him nervous. </p><p> </p><p>He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Shit, I'm so nervous. </p><p>His parents shared another look, they seemed concerned. </p><p> </p><p>"Hyunjin, is there something you want to share with us?" </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hyunjin talks to his parents...</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"And, is it nice to be back home after a few months?" His mother asked at dinner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I have to say that I missed you a little, yes, but also the food." Hyunjin chuckled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course chef made food is better than food by anyone other than Felix or Minho. </span>
  </em>
  <span>"But the dorm life is fun too, Changbin and I became good friends with our roommates." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Really? That's good." His father nodded. "All of them? Because the Seos said that not all were up to their standards." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, they're beginning about it themselves, thank goodness. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, yes they're all really nice, both of us can get along well with all of them." Hyunjin answered and contemplated mentioning Minho. "What did you hear from the Seos?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, first of all they don't really get why anyone would want to do something like hip hop or rap, but we've also heard from you that that Felix guy is really nice and that nowadays it's not considered as low as it used to be, so maybe we shouldn't judge on that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But we also heard that that Minho boy apparently is gay and harassed someone during a group project, although they say Changbin claims he didn't do anything to him, is that true? Is he okay? Are you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, we are okay. He never made us uncomfortable." Hyunjin immediately answered so there could be no doubt, but then he wasn't sure what to say next. "Minho himself said that he never intended to harass someone and Chan said that the guy involved may have been really, uhm, homophobic, but yeah, can't really confirm anything. I know that us roommates are friends with him and he has never made any of us uncomfortable." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents shared a look with each other that said that they didn't know what to say. They often tended to believe Changbins parents and follow them but in a more mellow manner. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I guess I'll drop the bomb now, then. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you think about, uhm, gay people?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another look was shared between his parents and they opened their mouths a few times but without saying something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m not really sure.” His father began hesitantly. “I always hear bad stories about those people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But if you say that Minho boy is nice to you and Changbin, then it’s, uhm, fine I think?” His mother added, although she didn’t seem completely sure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s nice to everyone from what I see.” Hyunjin clarified. “But I’m not talking about Minho specifically, actually, uhm, what about in general?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another silence fell, and Hyunjin looked down and fidgeted with his hands out of nervousness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry sweetie, I’m not sure. As your father said, we usually hear bad stories about them, but I don’t really know what to say?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And we don’t really think about it that much. Normally, it’s not that big in our lives if you get what I’m saying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is everything alright, Hyunjin?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin looked up to his parents again and began panicking a little. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What do I do with this answer? Are they on to me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes! I’m okay.” He did his best to give his parents a reassuring smile. “I just wanted to know if you were okay with me being friends with Minho, unlike Changbins parents…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then why did you ask about gay people in general?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, nice work Hyunjin! Very smart.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, you never know who might be, uhm, gay I guess? Maybe I’m friends with more people who aren’t straight and we just don’t know? Not everyone likes talking about that sort of stuff…” He was just rambling now, trying to fix it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You can be friends with whoever you want, Hyunjin.” His mother said in a gentle tone. “I mean, as long as you think they’re good people. You’re an adult, you don’t need our permission anymore to do things. That was why you wanted to move out with Changbin, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin nodded and let out a breath of relief. “Yes, but it’s still nice if you guys don’t disapprove of what I’m doing.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re not as extreme as the Seos that we forbid you of doing things, even if we don’t necessarily agree. You can always go to us for advice, though. We’re here for you, you know that, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, I know." Hyunjin smiled. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Does this mean that I can tell them? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Gosh, his heart was pounding fast. He wasn't lying when he said he knew his parents would be there for him, but still, the fact that they didn't really know what to say about gay people and potential influence of Changbins parents made him nervous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Shit, I'm so nervous. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>His parents shared another look, they seemed concerned. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hyunjin, is there something you want to share with us?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm— yes, uhm— I… uhm…" Hyunjin swallowed and alternated his gaze between his food and his parents, who were looking at him expectantly. He took a deep breath before continuing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>say it. Do it for Seungmin, for yourself. </span>
  </em>
  <span>"I— I'm gay." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After he said it he immediately looked down and squeezed his eyes shut, afraid to see the reaction. It was awfully silent and Hyunjin decided to slowly open his eyes and look up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did that Minho—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I already knew it before we met Minho." He hastily said, he wasn't going to let them blame Minho for anything. "It— it's not a disease or something, it's just who I am…" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His parents looked a little pale, pressing their lips together as if to hide their frowns. Hyunjin couldn't utter any more words, he was so afraid that his parents would react badly. He looked down again and waited for something to happen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I see." His mother cut through the silence. "I guess it's time for us to be more involved and informed about the matter, right honey?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait— really? </span>
  </em>
  <span>His father looked a little more reluctant, but eventually nodded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I guess. We're sorry that you felt like you couldn't tell us, but, uhm, of course we still love you! I just, uhm, need to process it too." He said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of— of course!" Hyunjin was a little stunned at the response, it was better than he had expected. "Thank you, mom and dad. Oh, and, uhm—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Should he ask them to not tell Changbins parents or should he let them? Letting them would either mean that they would come closer to acceptance, or that they would also forbid Changbin to be around him and cause a fight between his and Changbins parents. He decided that the risk was too high, and besides, they could still defend Minho or gay people without telling them about him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please don't tell anyone, okay? Changbin and my roommates know, but I'd like to tell people myself if I want them to know." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course sweetie." His mother gave a little smile. "We love you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, the conversation ended and they finished their dinner in silence. Hyunjin was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>relieved that his parents reacted relatively well. They at least showed that they were open to learn and support him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>A little later Hyunjin felt his phone buzz and saw that Seungmin had sent him a few texts. He also saw some texts from Minho, but those were probably for Changbin, so those could wait. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hey Jinnie, have you already talked to your parents, or not yet? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Take your time of course! </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I already did, and it went well :) </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin smiled at Seungmins texts and sent a text back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah I talked to them, and they seem to be okay with it? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They need some time to process. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not long after, his phone buzzed again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sounds good? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Do you have time to call right now? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, a call with Seungmin sounded really good right now. His boyfriend could definitely calm him, and he was also curious about how it went with Seungmin. Hyunjin texted back that he had time, and a few seconds later Seungmin already called. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey Minnie." He said when he picked up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hey Jinnie. Long time no see— or hear, I guess." </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin chuckled and Hyunjin already felt better, although he wasn't feeling that bad. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Do you want to talk first, or me?" </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm… I'll go first, we'll keep the happy stuff for last." Hyunjin chuckled too, trying to keep things light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He told Seungmin about his talk with Changbin first before he told him about the talk with his parents. Seungmins hums during his story somehow made Hyunjin feel warm, Seungmin was a great listener and Hyunjin realized he was really really comfortable with the younger. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Hmm. Sounds like they are at least open to learn? That's good."</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin sounded relieved and his gentle voice made Hyunjin want to crawl through the phone and cuddle with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, but I haven't told them about you yet. I thought maybe that's a bit too much for now." Hyunjin said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Understandable. Take your time, Jinnie. Uhm, I hope you don't mind that I already told my parents about you." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course I don't mind. How did it go with you?" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Ah, I just told them that the friend that was over yesterday was for a date." </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin began. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"And it took a minute before they remembered that that was with one of my roommates, so a boy, and they were a little flabbergasted, but they didn't seem disgusted. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>They then asked my sister if she knew because she was smiling, and she told them yes. So then my parents just nodded and told me they were glad I felt like I could tell them and then they asked about the date and told me they would love to meet you. My sister also really wants to meet you after hearing all my stories about you."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjins cheeks heated up at the thought of Seungmin telling his sister all about him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm. I'd love to meet them too." He smiled and sighed. "I already miss you." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin chuckled on the other side of the line. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Already? Wow, is Bin not good enough for you?" </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No, he is! I missed him too, but that doesn't mean I can't miss you after half a day already." Hyunjin pouted. "Hearing your voice makes me want to hug you and maybe give a few kisses." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His boyfriend giggled and Hyunjin felt like he could burst. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"You're so dramatic, but I get it. Try to have fun with Binnie and your family, okay? Don't miss me too much, but you can always call me when you do, or when you don't and you just want to." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I will." Hyunjin chuckled. "Thanks for calling me, Minnie, it made me feel relaxed." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Me too."</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hyunjin could hear a smile in the others voice. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"Ah, my parents want to watch a christmas movie, so I have to go now. Talk to you later, Jinnie." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Bye, love you Minnie." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>"Love you too. Bye bye." </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, Seungmin hung up and Hyunjin threw himself on the bed with a content smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Seungmin makes everything better.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minho was lying on his bed, staring at the texts he had gotten from Hyunjin while snuggling with his cats.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bin didn’t recognize your drawings kjdfgffh</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He asked if you were cheating on him already</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But otherwise hes doing fine, he misses everyone</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(especially you, but he doesn’t want me to say that. He says hell die if you say you miss him too)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hes also worried about convincing his parents about you, idk what he exactly meant</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Anyway, I told my parents and they are trying to be supportive, so maybe things will be fine!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minho laughed at the first few, but frowned at the last few. He thought a moment about what he should reply before texting back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Good that your parents are supportive! Thats always nice</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Tell Bin to please be careful and that its okay if he doesnt manage to convince his parents that im a good person or somthng</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>As long as hes allowed to hang out with me its fine i think?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I just want him to be able to do what he loves</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Also tell him im breaking up with him because he didnt recognize my drawings so i dont miss him at all</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>(but actually i miss him a heck of a lot)</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Minho sighed as he sent the texts and put his phone away. He had told his parents about his problems and they had done their best to comfort him, but of course there wasn't much they could do. He closed his eyes and put his hands together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Santa? God? I don’t know, to anyone listening, I have a wish— request?” He said and readjusted the paws of his cats so they were praying too. “Please let some christmas miracle or whatever happen and let Changbin be free. I’m not asking this necessarily for me, although it would be nice if we could be together too, but if that’s too much to ask, please just let Changbin do what he loves. He deserves it. Thank you for listening.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<span>Minho silently snickered at what he was doing, but he also felt a little desperate for his friend. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please just let him come back with good news.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0025"><h2>25. Guys it's snowing!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Innie, that doesn’t work on him.” Seungmin got out of his bed and approached Hyunjins bed. “Kisses help— ugh, it’s wet.”</p><p>Chan laughed as Seungmin wiped his boyfriends face and softly kissed his cheek and then his mouth.</p><p>“Wake up, Jinnie, or else Jeongin will kill you.”</p><p>Hyunjin groaned and slung his arms around Seungmin and wiped his face on the others face. Seungmin looked a bit disgusted, but he let it happen anyway.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A happier chapter :D<br/>I enjoyed writing this one</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The week at home went by in the blink of an eye if you asked Jisung, but maybe that was because he had stayed indoors the whole time. It had been really nice staying with his family, but Jisung was also glad to be able to see his friends again instead of texting with them and waiting for them to answer because they were doing things and going out and stuff. </p><p> </p><p>Even though Jisung had stayed indoors the whole time, he hadn't been bored, no. He was either playing games, making music, watching dramas or movies, or keeping up with how the rest - especially Changbin and Hyunjin - were doing. </p><p> </p><p>Apparently Hyunjin and Seungmin had told their parents about liking boys, to which Seungmins parents had reacted well and Hyunjins parents okay. It had also caused an argument between Hyunjins and Changbins parents at the christmas dinner, after which Changbin was forbidden from seeing Hyunjin for a few days, although they hadn't been told about Hyunjin, it was just out of spite. Then Hyunjins parents had asked Hyunjin to educate them and tell them more about his experiences because they were mad that their son was indirectly insulted. </p><p>
  <em> I mean, I guess that's also can be motivation?  </em>
</p><p>Hyunjin of course had happily done that, and also told his parents that he was seeing someone recently because he thought that they could handle that info, which they fortunately could. </p><p>A couple days later, the parents had met up again and somewhat talked things out. At least, Hyunjins parents managed to convince Changbins parents that they should let them be friends with Minho. </p><p>Jisung was really glad for that, but of course Changbin hadn't had the courage to come out to his parents after they had attacked Hyunjins parents - their friends - for defending gay people. Apparently Hyunjins parents had asked 'what if your own son was gay?' to which they had responded with not so nice things. Yes, they were in the middle of an argument, but still. </p><p> </p><p>That had been about it for the things that happened during their stay with their families, but Changbin still had to stay a few days home despite his parents finally somewhat accepting Minho. </p><p> </p><p>Jisung was the first back at the dorm, but not long after his arrival Felix and Seungmin entered the dorm too. Jisung greeted them with a big and tight hug.</p><p> </p><p>“I missed you guys! The last time we saw each other was <em> last year </em>!”</p><p> </p><p>“Or, a little more than a week ago.” Seungmin shot back, grinning. “You guys had nice holidays? Oh, wait, I already know because you constantly asked for updates.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t help that I’m an introvert unlike the rest of y’all.” Jisung rolled his eyes. “And it’s not like we all didn’t want constant updates from our rich boys.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I hope Bin will survive the last few days now that Hyunjin isn’t there anymore.” Felix sighed.</p><p> </p><p>“I hope so too, but there’s not much we can do now.” Seungmin nodded. “Let’s do some grocery shopping so that we have food again?”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung and Felix sighed at the idea of grocery shopping, but then again, Seungmin would probably do the most and Jisung could joke around with them during. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When they came back, all three carrying a big bag of groceries, they saw Chan was back too. Jisung immediately dropped his bag and tackled his friend in a hug and he felt Chan squeeze him tightly in return. He had been extra looking forward to seeing Chan again because right before they left to see their families he had realized his feelings for the older, and then there had been the mistletoe situation, but he had been too scared to say anything immediately of course. Jisung had the urge to give Chan a kiss when he thought back to the mistletoe situation, but decided against it when he felt Felix and Seungmin join their hug. When they let go of each other, his and Chans hands brushed each other unsurprisingly and Jisung smiled to himself. <em> Maybe I’ll say something soon. </em></p><p> </p><p>Not much later, Minho came back too and after that Jihyo and Hyunjin arrived in their fancy car and Jihyo of course carried Hyunjins bags like she always did. Jeongin would arrive more towards the evening.</p><p> </p><p>“Makes you think of the first time they arrived here, huh?” Chan smiled. “It feels so long ago, but at the same time it feels like it was yesterday.”</p><p> </p><p>“And back then Bin was there…” Minho sighed.</p><p> </p><p>When the door opened and Hyunjin appeared, Seungmin immediately ran to the dancer and hugged him, reminding Jisung of what he himself did a while ago. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh wow, good that I’m not carrying any bags.” Hyunjin chuckled and began showering Seungmin in kisses. “I— missed— you— and everyone else too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, last time we saw them was last year!” Jisung said again.</p><p> </p><p>“Exactly!” Hyunjin laughed while Seungmin rolled his eyes and ushered his boyfriend to go and hug the rest. </p><p> </p><p>After that they all went to unpack their stuff and it was time to start dinner already. When dinner was almost ready, the door slammed open.</p><p> </p><p>“GUYS IT’S SNOWING!” Jeongin yelled. “I don’t know if you guys already saw because it has been for quite a while, but yay!”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung immediately looked outside to see it indeed was snowing. <em> Maybe we can play in the snow tomorrow? </em></p><p> </p><p>“We missed you too, Innie.” Seungmin grinned from where he was sitting in Hyunjins arms.</p><p> </p><p>“It looks like you two didn’t really, though.” </p><p> </p><p>“Of course we did!!” Hyunjin yelled and jumped up to hug the youngest along with the rest.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>During dinner they talked about everything they hadn’t told over text and about other weird things as they always did and Jisung was happy to be back with his friends. </p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>The next morning Chan woke up feeling like there was water being splashed in his face. <em> Huh..? What’s going on..?  </em></p><p> </p><p>“...lots of snow outside!” Jeongins voice sounded, it was quite loud. “WAKE UP GUYS!”</p><p> </p><p>Chan blinked his eyes open and put a hand to his face. <em> Cold and wet?  </em></p><p>Once his eyes were adjusted to the light he saw Jeongin standing in the bedroom, clothed in a big jacket, gloves and a hat, throwing snowballs at their roommates while screaming.</p><p> </p><p>“I’M AWAKE STOP YELLING!” Seungmin yelled back.</p><p> </p><p>“But Hyunjin isn’t awake yet!” </p><p> </p><p>“Jeongin, you’re <em> so </em>dead when we get outside!”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s the spirit Minho! Let’s go outside!” Jeongin threw another snowball in Hyunjins face for good measure before shaking him from side to side, eliciting groans from the taller.</p><p> </p><p>“Innie, that doesn’t work on him.” Seungmin got out of his bed and approached Hyunjins bed. “Kisses help— ugh, it’s wet.”</p><p> </p><p>Chan laughed as Seungmin wiped his boyfriends face and softly kissed his cheek and then his mouth.</p><p> </p><p>“Wake up, Jinnie, or else Jeongin will kill you.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin groaned and slung his arms around Seungmin and wiped his face on the others face. Seungmin looked a bit disgusted, but he let it happen anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, everyone awake? Let’s have a snowball fight!” Jisung said, seemingly already being awake as well.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah!” Felix too seemed to be well awake. </p><p> </p><p>Everyone got up and got dressed, some - including Chan - being a little slower than others, but nothing a yelling Jeongin couldn’t speed up.</p><p> </p><p>“They cleaned up the snow around the building, but I saw that in the park there’s lots of snow!” The youngest said while he hurried everyone to put on their jackets.</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus Jeongin, for how long have you been awake?” Minho laughed. “Doesn’t matter, let’s go!”</p><p> </p><p>“Race to the park!” Jisung announced and began running already. “Revenge, Chan!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah, again?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Unfair start!” Chan laughed as he ran after the younger.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung won this one, both because Chan checked if the rest was following, and because he was more afraid of tripping in the snow than Jisung. He tackled the younger like Jisung had done the previous time and it seemed like Jisung had gotten the reference, because he let them fall into the snow.</p><p> </p><p>“Ha, I won this time.” Jisung grinned while panting and Chan nodded on his chest. “Loser gets snow in his face!”</p><p> </p><p>Before Chan could react, Jisung shoved snow into his face and Chan sputtered and coughed, but Jisungs laugh was worth it. </p><p> </p><p>“You guys lying on the ground again?” Felix panted as he caught up to the two. “Isn’t that cold?”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, Channie is warm.” Jisung said, and Chans ears heated up a little.</p><p> </p><p><em> Jisung is too, but maybe we should get up, </em>Chan thought and offered his hand to Jisung like the other had done the previous time as well.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh? How gentleman of you.” The younger said as he let himself be pulled up. “Hey, Channie— you’re not wearing gloves?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah— I completely forgot!”</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on?” Hyunjin asked when he and the rest arrived at the park. “Oh, Chan’s not wearing any gloves.”</p><p> </p><p>“We had to hurry and stuff, so I forgot.” Chan chuckled and scratched behind his neck. “I can still go get them.”</p><p> </p><p>“No that takes too long…” Jeongin pouted. “And you’re tired from running already.”</p><p> </p><p>“You guys can start without me—”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh I know! Because it’s partially my fault you can lend one of my gloves and hold my hand with your other.” Jisung suggested. “We’ll have a handicap, but doesn’t that make it more interesting?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, if you’re okay with that I guess we can do that.” Chan nodded and smiled. “Our hands are roughly the same size.”</p><p> </p><p>Jisung wanted to give him his right glove, but Chan insisted he’d have the left glove so that Jisung could throw snowballs better. They grabbed each others exposed hands and with that the snowball fight began. </p><p> </p><p>It was a little clumsy, trying to make snowballs with your nondominant hand while being pulled around by a Jisung who was trying to dodge others attacks, but if Chan was honest, he wouldn’t want it any other way. He enjoyed everyones laughs every time they hit him right in the face because he was too focused on making snowballs, he enjoyed everyones laughs whenever he threw a snowball in the complete wrong direction because he wasn’t used to throwing with his left arm, and he enjoyed every time Jisung giggled and apologized whenever he accidentally pulled Chan into the snow while he tried to dodge.</p><p>Never once they had let go of each others hands, fingers intertwined for extra stability, and never once Chan felt like his hand was cold. In fact, he even felt extra warm.</p><p> </p><p>After a while, he and Jisung even got a bit of a hang of their way of throwing snowballs and they had developed a strategy. When they finally managed to hit someone in the face, they excitedly high fived each other with their free hands and jumped around.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>“Okay, guys I’m tired now—” Jeongin said just as Felix hit him with a snowball.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry!” Felix apologized as soon as he Jeongin shot an angry look in his direction.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, okay it was Felix, that means I don’t need to take revenge and we can go home because I’m tired.”</p><p> </p><p>“And I’m <em> hungry </em>.” Chan noticed.</p><p> </p><p>After a few ‘pig’ and ‘of course Chan is hungry’ comments, they started walking back.</p><p> </p><p>“We did well considering our handicap, didn’t we?” Jisung commented. “Although— I think I saw you get hit a lot of times.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, <em> you </em>did well.” Chan laughed. “But I didn’t mind being obliterated— oh there’s some snow in your hair.”</p><p> </p><p>He fully turned to the other and reached with his free hand to get the snow out of the youngers hair, slowing down their pace so they wouldn’t trip over each others feet. Jisung seemed to get a little shy at the gesture, which made Chan a little shy as well. <em> Gosh, calm down butterflies, I’m just fixing his hair </em> — <em> ugh, this isn’t working with gloves. </em>He used his teeth to remove Jisungs glove from his hand and pocketed it before fixing the youngers hair with his bare hand. Jisung chuckled at Chans efforts and their eyes locked while Chans hand brushed his cheek as it fell from Jisungs hair, and maybe that hand lingered at that cheek for a few seconds longer. </p><p> </p><p>“Chan—”</p><p> </p><p>“Jisung—”</p><p> </p><p>They looked at each other with a surprised look and Chan moved his hand away. <em>Oh shit, did I overstep his boundaries?</em> <em>Although</em>— <em>he didn’t move away?</em></p><p> </p><p>“Y— you can go first.” He said. Chan wasn't even sure what he had wanted to say if they didn't interrupt each other. <em> Was I really just going to blurt out 'Jisung, I'm in love with you'?  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah, uhm, it wasn't that important, uhm—" Jisung seemed unsure of what he had wanted to say too. "I just wondered if, uhm, you wanted a little smooch as thanks?— It's dumb, I don't know, nevermind." </p><p> </p><p>The youngers cheeks burned a deep red, and Chan was flabbergasted. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by their yelling friends. </p><p> </p><p>"Chan! Jisung! Are you okay? Why are you so slow?" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Ah, we've fallen behind quite a bit, huh?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Everything's fine! We're coming!" Chan yelled back and pulled Jisung along. </p><p> </p><p>"Sorry." The younger muttered. </p><p> </p><p>"No don't be sorry! Uhm—" Chan thought for a second and mustered up all his courage. "If you still want to, I'd like to take you up on your offer." </p><p> </p><p>He squeezed their hands and Jisung looked at him with a happily surprised look. </p><p> </p><p>"Really? Yes!— I mean— sure." Jisung smiled. "And what did you want to say?" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh that— yeah, uhm, I'll tell you at the dorm, after you've thanked me." Chan answered. <em> If I still have the courage then. Maybe Jisungs smooch will encourage me.  </em></p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Back at the dorm, they reluctantly let go of each others hands to take off their jackets and other stuff, but after that was done, Jisung immediately grabbed Chans hand again and dragged him under the mistletoe to give him a kiss on his cheek. Chan was sure it wasn't healthy for so many butterflies to rage through his chest while his stomach flipped. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh damn— are you?—" Minho said pointing between the two. </p><p> </p><p>"I just thanked Channie for getting snow out of my hair." Jisung smiled and turned back to Chan. "What did you want to say?" </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm—" <em> Oh gosh, there are people looking now. </em>"I— uhm…" </p><p> </p><p>Chan quickly shot a look to the side, seeing his roommates still stare. He looked down and nervously played with the hand he was holding. </p><p> </p><p>"Do you want to go somewhere private?" Jisung asked softly. </p><p> </p><p>"Y— yes." Chan felt his ears burn at 'private', and mentally kicked himself for stuttering so much. </p><p> </p><p><em> You better get yourself together Chan, </em>he thought when he followed Jisung to the bedroom, still holding his hand. </p><p> </p><p>"So, what is it Channie?" </p><p> </p><p><em> Well, can't go back now. </em>Chan took a deep breath before speaking. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, I…" <em> Dammit why is it so hard? </em>"I— uhm, why do you give me kisses?" </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Jesus christ, Chan. What are you doing?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>"Hmm? Is that what you wanted to say— or ask? Because— well, anyway, it's because I like you of course." Jisung answered. "And I like giving, and receiving, kisses." </p><p> </p><p>"I see." Chan nodded slowly. <em> Of course this doesn't tell me anything. </em>"Well, what I, uhm, wanted to say is that I, uhm…" </p><p> </p><p><em> Come on, Chan! </em>He looked down and took another deep breath, trying to calm down. Then he felt a few fingers on his jaw, pushing his head up so that he looked into Jisungs eyes. </p><p> </p><p>"You..?" Jisung asked softly, intertwining their fingers. "You can tell me, Channie, I won't dislike you, I <em> can’t </em>." </p><p> </p><p>Jisungs tone calmed Chans nerves and he got lost in the others eyes, causing him to almost forget to answer. </p><p> </p><p>"I like you, Jisung." He said, moving a little closer. "As in, I want to give you kisses too, and I wouldn't mind if they were on the lips." </p><p> </p><p>The youngers eyes widened and he let out a chuckle. </p><p> </p><p>"You're so awkward.” He said, but his cheeks looked like they were burning. “But! I love that about you, and I am too, and I wouldn't mind if you kissed me on the lips either." </p><p> </p><p>“Really?” Chan asked, frozen.</p><p> </p><p>Jisung nodded, smiling shyly, and Chan let out a breathy laugh, feeling a weight come off his shoulders. <em> Of course </em> we <em> would confess to each other like this.  </em></p><p>He slowly let Jisungs hand go to cup his cheeks, gently brushing his thumbs over them before moving closer to slowly close the gap. When he was almost there, he looked at the others crossed eyes one last time before closing his and pressing his lips against Jisungs. </p><p> </p><p>Their kiss was a little awkward and short, but they soon went in for another one after a chuckle at each other. It felt like they were finding out together what worked and what didn't, and Chan felt Jisungs arms around his back to pull him closer. </p><p>When they pulled back, they smiled at each other while softly panting. </p><p> </p><p>"Well, I have to say, you're definitely better than dream-Chan." Jisung grinned. </p><p> </p><p>Chan opened his mouth to answer, but they were interrupted by Chans stomach loudly rumbling. They both snorted and snickered. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah, I totally forgot that I was hungry."</p><p> </p><p>"Chan forgets he's hungry for me? Wow, I feel so special!" Jisung laughed and Chan half-heartedly slapped his arm. "Sorry~" </p><p> </p><p>Jisung kissed his hand as it retreated from Jisungs arm, making Chan yelp softly, and then he showered his face with kisses. </p><p> </p><p>"Ah! Apology accepted!" Chan squeaked. He loved getting kisses from the other, but he was hungry and there was also a thing as too much kisses. </p><p> </p><p>"I know, I just wanted to do this." Jisung beamed. "Now let's go eat." </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>When they left the bedroom, entering the living room again, they were met with stares. </p><p> </p><p>"Uhm, what happened? Jisung pulled you under the mistletoe to give you a kiss and then after a few whispers you disappeared into the bedroom." Jeongin lifted up one eyebrow. </p><p> </p><p>"I thought you were hungry, Chan!" Felix said. </p><p> </p><p>"Maybe he was just thirsty?" Minho smirked. "Or he ate—" </p><p> </p><p>"Minho!" Chan squeaked, head burning red. "I <em> am </em> hungry and— uhm, we'll tell you what happened <em> after </em>I get food. Please someone tell me that they made food!" </p><p> </p><p>"I did! Because you said you were hungry, but then you were suddenly gone." Felix said, pointing to the food he made. </p><p> </p><p>"Hhhh Felix you're the best! I could kiss you right now—" </p><p> </p><p>"Chan! You filthy cheater!" Jisung gasped dramatically. "After you kissed me you suddenly want to kiss everyone? Am I suddenly less important than food now?" </p><p> </p><p>Chan was too busy laughing at Jisungs obviously exaggerated dramatics to be embarrassed at everyones stares. Then he remembered the food and almost lunged at it, making everyone laugh. </p><p> </p><p>"Jisung? What— are you being serious?" Hyunjin asked. "What suddenly happened between you two?" </p><p> </p><p>"Can I tell them, Channie?" Jisung turned to Chan, and Chan nodded, not being able to answer with his mouth full. "So… uhm…"</p><p> </p><p>It seemed that Jisung had become a little shy now that he wasn't joking around anymore, it was cute. </p><p> </p><p>"Did Chan really kiss you?" Minho asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, he did." Jisung smiled down at his feet and Chan felt the butterflies return. "We confessed to each other." </p><p> </p><p>Another silence fell as their roommates watched them with open mouths. Those open mouths quickly changed to smiles as comments such as 'cute', 'okay, kinda should have seen it coming' or 'finally' sounded, until Minho groaned.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m surrounded by lucky bastards…” He sighed. </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Bin likes you back and his parents have accepted that he can most likely be around you! That’s something, right?” Chan tried to assure Minho, although he understood that Minhos mind still wasn’t really at ease. </p><p> </p><p>“Yes, but his parents still hate my guts, <em> and </em>they would absolutely hate it if Changbin liked me for several reasons.” The dancer said. “But— don’t let me bring your happiness down, my sulking doesn’t mean you can’t be happy… I’m also happy for you guys.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Poor Minho, </em>Chan thought and frowned, trying to think of something to do for his friend.</p><p> </p><p>“Guys, look!” Hyunjin suddenly held his phone up to show a picture of some sort, but Chan couldn't see very well because everyone huddled in front of it. </p><p> </p><p>"What are we supposed to see?" Jeongin asked. </p><p> </p><p>"Changbin made a snowman with his sister! Look, here's the selfie he sent!" </p><p> </p><p><em> Ooh! </em>Chan quickly finished his food and hurried over to look at the pictures Changbin had sent. </p><p> </p><p>"I sent him our pictures too!" Hyunjin smiled. "And he said he got a good grade back for one of his exams!" </p><p> </p><p>The pictures were really cute, and Chan was glad to see Changbin having a little fun back home. </p><p> </p><p>"I bet we can do better, though." Minho said. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh! Let's make a Changbin snowman so that he is still kind of with us!" Jeongin was already eager to go outside. </p><p> </p><p>"You make it sound like he isn't coming back the day after tomorrow." Seungmin laughed and followed Jeongin to get his jacket. "Are you guys coming or not?!" </p><p> </p><p>"This time I won't forget my gloves!" </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, I won't mind if you do, though." Jisung grinned. </p><p> </p><p>"Is that a challenge?" Chan laughed, but gladly grabbed the youngers hand as he nodded and gave him his left glove.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Guys! Don't make him too tall! If you have too much snow, build outwards rather than upwards!" Hyunjin ordered when they were outside again. </p><p> </p><p>They had decided to try and build the snowman just outside of their building because they didn't want Changbin to be alone in the park after they were done. </p><p> </p><p>Chan and Jisung were struggling making big snowballs together, but it wasn’t like their help was much needed when they were building a snowman with 7 people. Chan was also too busy laughing at his friends to properly gather snow. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The final snowman was short and broad and was kind of falling apart at the sides. It had two little branches as arms and stones for the face. The head was misshapen because they wanted to make a sharp chin, but it failed. </p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe our snowman, that we made with the seven of us—" Seungmin gave Chan and Jisung a quick look. "uhm, more like six— five and a half? is worse than Changbins." </p><p> </p><p>"<em> I </em>think it looks like Binnie, though." Hyunjin snickered. "Let's take pictures with it!" </p><p> </p><p>They first took pictures of the snowman alone before taking silly pictures of themselves with SnowBin as they had named their creation. </p><p>Hyunjin took a picture with him, both wearing Hyunjins most expensive sunglasses, Chan and Jisung put on their headphones and put one on SnowBin and pretended to be making music - while of course still holding each others hand -, Seungmin and Jeongin pretended to fight SnowBin, Felix gave SnowBin a hug, and Minho pretended to teach him a dance move (because he was too insecure to pretend to kiss him).</p><p> </p><p>"Which ones should I send already?" Hyunjin asked. "I don't know which ones are safe, so I think I'll just send the ones with only SnowBin and we'll show the rest later?" </p><p> </p><p>The others nodded, and with that they went inside again, ending their second round of snow fun that day. The only thing that could've made this day<em> even </em> better than it already was, and it already was pretty amazing according to Chan, was if Changbin had been there with them. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>:)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0026"><h2>26. Immersed in their own world</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hyunjin grinned widely and pulled himself up and closer to Seungmin, arms crossing behind Seungmins neck, to capture his lips. Ah, here’s the good night kiss, Seungmin thought and smiled before melting into the kiss, pulling his boyfriend closer at the waist and letting his senses be taken over by Hyunjin and Hyunjin only. Now he wasn’t just enveloped by his boyfriend in physical sense, but in every other sense too, just as he liked it. </p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Little shorter chapter, but double update! Because I this part didn't fit in the previous chapter and didn't fit with the next chapter idk, it just didn't feel right to put it with the next chapter? jdgdgk<br/>sooo have almost 1.2 k of seungjin here wooooooo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Seungmin was lying in his bed, reading a book, when he suddenly felt someone sneakily climb on his bed to join him. Seungmin put down his book and got ready to fight whoever was trying to scare or prank him, but when he saw it was Hyunjin he was almost pushing of his top bunk bed he quickly grabbed his boyfriend to prevent him from falling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whoah, sorry.” He chuckled. “I thought you were someone else.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>During the few days that they had been in the dorm as boyfriends, they usually just shortly kissed each other good night, sometimes a hug was included, but normally no climbing on beds and engulfing the other with your body like Hyunjin was doing now was involved. Seungmin would be lying if he said he wasn’t pleasantly surprised, though.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was thinking…” Hyunjin began, laying his head on Seungmins chest. “On our date we managed to sleep in the same single bed, maybe we could try again? I brought my pillow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The dancer propped his head up Seungmins chest so that he was looking at him, Seungmin had to do his best to look back, as his boyfriend was pretty close and right under him. He pretended to think about Hyunjins proposal, although he already knew what his answer would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s pretty cold out, huh? This bed is a little less broad than mine at home, but we can always try.” Seungmin smiled and repositioned himself a little under his boyfriend so that Hyunjin could join him under the covers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin grinned widely and pulled himself up and closer to Seungmin, arms crossing behind Seungmins neck, to capture his lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, here’s the good night kiss, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Seungmin thought and smiled before melting into the kiss, pulling his boyfriend closer at the waist and letting his senses be taken over by Hyunjin and Hyunjin only. Now he wasn’t just enveloped by his boyfriend in physical sense, but in every other sense too, just as he liked it. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin loved kissing Seungmin so much, the way his boyfriend - and he himself too - would get lost in each other, and the way Seungmin would look at him in between or after kisses when they gasped for air was something Hyunjin felt only he was able to experience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gently licked in between the youngers soft lips to ask access, and with a soft gasp Seungmin granted it. Oh, how great it was to feel even more of his boyfriend, who was pressing them together to be as close as possible, and how the soft gasps, breaths and hums Seungmin let out sounded like music to his ears.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin let one arm go to find his pillow so he could prop it behind his boyfriend to make his position more comfortable, giving them a little break to breathe, as Hyunjin let his other arm slip away from behind Seungmins head too. Seungmin gave him a smile in between pants and readjusted his arms too, so that they were now around Hyunjins neck and he could pull Hyunjin back into a deep kiss while tangling his fingers in his hair. Hyunjin had to hold back a smile as he thought about how Seungmin did that more often and how much he liked it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his now freed arms he could discover and feel even more, Hyunjin thought it was never enough, so he let his hands roam over Seungmins upper body. He wasn’t satisfied with just feeling Seungmins shirt, so he carefully slipped his hands under it to feel the others warm skin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh—” Seungmin gasped and pulled back, face flushed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, not okay?” Hyunjin didn’t want to overstep any boundaries of course. “I should’ve asked—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay.” His boyfriend smiled and brushed a hand over his cheek. “Your hands are a bit cold, that’s all. I’ll get used to it, you can continue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin smiled back and continued his exploration of Seungmins upper body with his hands and of Seungmins lips and mouth with his tongue. The youngers small sounds and gasps got a little louder and more frequent and his grip in his boyfriends hair got stronger every time Hyunjins hands seemed to land on a new or sensitive spot, and while Hyunjin loved it, he decided to give them both some room to breathe. Hyunjin shifted his head to place slow kisses on Seungmins cheek, jaw, neck, and behind his ear in between pants, sucking lightly. They were completely immersed in their own world, the only thing that existed was the other and the only thing that mattered was the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my—” Seungmin breathed, seemingly a little overwhelmed by all of Hyunjins touches and kisses. To be honest, Hyunjin was a little overwhelmed as well, but he loved feeling Seungmin to this extent. “Hyunjin—”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wh— Oh </span>
  <em>
    <span>gosh—</span>
  </em>
  <span>" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their make out session was interrupted by a gasping Felix who had apparently just entered the bedroom. They should've expected someone to walk in, in fact, Jeongin was already in the room which they both had forgotten. Still, Hyunjin felt embarrassed that they were caught in such an intimate moment, and he saw Seungmins head even more red than it already had been too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah, they've been going for quite a while." Jeongin commented from his bed. "You can tune it out after a while." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ah, sorry for interrupting. Should I warn the others?" Felix stuttered a little, still bewildered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Uhm, no, there's no need." Seungmin answered, looking flustered. "We were planning on going to sleep soon anyway, right? Or—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked at Hyunjin for confirmation and Hyunjin nodded and slowly got off Seungmin to lie beside him. Now that the spell of being immersed in each other was wearing off, Hyunjin got a little insecure. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What if Seungmin wanted to stop me right before Felix walked in? Or what if he is ashamed of me or himself now? Or—</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seungmin stopped his stream of thoughts by turning towards him. Apparently he had missed the end of the conversation with Felix. It was pretty dark in the room so Hyunjin couldn't see Seungmins facial expression well, so he just decided to apologize. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hmm? Why?" Seungmin asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Did I go too far? Are you ashamed? Or—" </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Everything is fine, Jinnie." Seungmin assured, carding a hand through Hyunjins hair. "I was a bit overwhelmed and after that I was embarrassed for a moment, yeah, but you never went too far. I actually, uhm, really enjoyed what you did." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That got Hyunjins cheeks to heat up significantly, and when he placed a hand on Seungmins cheek he felt it was hot as well. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm glad." Even in the dark Hyunjin managed to get lost in the others eyes. "I really enjoyed it too. Maybe, uhm, when we go on another date or something we can do this again." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'd like that." Seungmin whispered and gave him a soft kiss on his lips, scooting closer and putting one arm over Hyunjin. "Good night, Jinnie." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hyunjin snuggled closer as well, enveloping his boyfriend in a hug. "Good night, Minnie." </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>No one: </p><p>Me: writes seungjin and ends it with good night Minnie/Jinnie</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0027"><h2>27. You’ve shown that you can make your own decisions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>He went downstairs to get some breakfast which one of the chefs of course had already prepared and sat at the way too big table. </p><p>A little while later the phone rang and a maid picked up. </p><p> </p><p>"Hello? Seo residence speaking." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin looked at the maid nodding and then turning to him. </p><p> </p><p>"Sir? It's for you."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Changbin gets some good news finally :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Changbin woke up pretty late and checked his phone. <em> No new texts of course. </em>He sighed, things were boring at home when Hyunjin wasn't there and Jihyo was busy with work. The other people in his neighborhood were no option to hang out with either, they were too stuck up for Changbins liking. </p><p>Well, at least this was better than a few days ago when his parents were trying to teach him lessons on how to act and be every day. Now his parents finally gave him some space. They didn't check his phone every day anymore and they had accepted his friends and passions somewhat, but they still gave him some judging or questionable looks from time to time. </p><p> </p><p>He went downstairs to get some breakfast which one of the chefs of course had already prepared and sat at the way too big table. </p><p>A little while later the phone rang and a maid picked up. </p><p> </p><p>"Hello? Seo residence speaking." </p><p> </p><p>Changbin looked at the maid nodding and then turning to him. </p><p> </p><p>"Sir? It's for you." She said, and his parents gave him a look. Changbin hated it when he was called sir, but his parents of course had insisted on it, and Changbin didn't want them to get mad at the help for something Changbin had requested. </p><p> </p><p>"Oh, okay." Changbin got up and accepted the phone, ignoring the burning looks from his parents. "Hello? Seo Changbin speaking." </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "Hello Changbin, this is professor Park. I have some good news for you. Are your parents here? You might want to put me on speaker."  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin glanced towards his parents, <em> they probably want it on speaker too. </em>Professor Park was one of the professors who had helped him with resources to convince his parents. </p><p> </p><p>"Yes, I'll put you on speaker." Changbin answered and did as he said. </p><p> </p><p><em> "Great. Good day, Mr. and Mrs. Seo, this is professor Park, we've briefly met at the showcase, which is what this call is about. We've graded the performances and albums the students have made, and I decided to call you because Changbin and his team had done </em> very <em> well." </em></p><p> </p><p>"Really?" Changbin couldn't help but smile in anticipation. </p><p> </p><p><em>"Yes, really.</em> <em>The total score we've come to is a 9.3 out of ten. And your dancer friend, Minho right? also got a good grade I heard." </em></p><p> </p><p>Changbins mouth fell open. <em> Wow that's amazing! </em>He looked at his parents, but they just had their usual stoic expression mixed in with a teensy bit of 'not bad'. </p><p> </p><p>"What could he have done better?" His father asked. <em> Of course.  </em></p><p> </p><p><em> "Well, nothing is perfect of course, we never give out perfect scores. I think that even if we would ask professional songwriters or producers to do our assignment they wouldn't get a perfect score." </em> Professor Park laughed. <em> "So Chan and Changbin did really well! But to answer your question, the ballad had a few minor technical issues, a few things from the performance, just that it was good but not spectacular, uhm, so mostly just nitpicking. For the full notes you'll have to see the assignment, we've put the feedback and compliments there." </em></p><p> </p><p>"Ah, thank you. We'll look at that." Changbins father nodded. <em> At the criticism only probably.  </em></p><p> </p><p>
  <em> "But his good grade isn't the only reason I called. There were a few interested people looking for young producers at the showcase as you might have known, and we also posted the videos of the performances on the website, and we've heard many good responses about Changbin and Chan. Lots of people were impressed with his rapping and writing skills and would love to contact you for after you're finished with your studies. I'll be sending an email with the details, but I wanted to congratulate you in advance." </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin was speechless, he wasn't used to getting such good news, he definitely needed this after having days of thinking about bad things. Again he looked at his parents to see their reaction, now his mother had a small smile on her face and his father had one eyebrow raised. It was something. </p><p> </p><p>"Thank you, Mr. Park, I appreciate it!" Changbin smiled. </p><p> </p><p><em> "No problem. You're one of my best students." </em> Professor Park answered. <em> "Well, have a nice day, and see you soon in class! Bye."  </em></p><p> </p><p>"Bye!" </p><p> </p><p>As soon as Changbin hung up he grabbed his phone to text Chan.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Chan! Did you get a call too? Have you seen our grade for the project?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>He looked up to see his parents questioningly look at him, probably wondering who he was texting.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m just texting Chan to ask if he has seen our grade yet too.” He said, and his parents nodded and raised an eyebrow at the buzzes of Changbins phone. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yes ive seen it!! Amazing!!! :D :D </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Minho also got like an 8.7 for his part!! We did so well! </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Didnt get a call, but I saw we were getting a follow up email of some sorts too today?  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin smiled at his phone and jumped a little when he saw his parents looking over his shoulders. He decided to shrug it off, he had nothing to hide about this anyway.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Yes prof Park told me over the phone too, I think youll like the email :) </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> We did well!!!!  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Just as he sent the last text, his phone dinged to signal that he had received an email. It was the email that professor Park had been talking about, he probably sent the one for Changbin first. The email was a short compilation of people and companies that had shown interest in Changbin or Chan and Changbin together, along with contact info and terms and stuff. </p><p>In his peripheral vision he saw his parents move closer to read it too.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll just forward it to you so you can read it properly too.” He said.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, thank you son.” His father said and headed over to the computer to read the email.</p><p> </p><p>Changbin took this time to finish his late breakfast and await his parents’ reaction, if there would even be one. <em> There must be, right? This is kind of a big deal.  </em></p><p>Just as he reread the email in disbelieve for the third time, his parents appeared in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>“Changbin, dear? Do you have a minute?” His mother asked and he nodded. “Well, first of all, we want to say that we are proud of you and how well you are doing in your studies.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin smiled a little, although he knew they wouldn’t be saying this if his grades were any lower or he hadn’t gotten that email.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, and we have seen the offers in the email, and although they’re not quite up to level with where we would ideally like you to start off after your studies, they’re not bad either.”</p><p> </p><p><em> Of course. </em>Changbin nodded. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, there is still the big end of the year project for which the students have the complete remainder of the year for, right? Maybe that will give better opportunities.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, your father is right, you can take the feedback from this project and make the next one even better!” His mother gave a little smile. </p><p> </p><p>“And you’ll be okay if I focus on rap?” Changbin decided to just ask, they’re now proud of him so he should take the chance.</p><p> </p><p>His parents shared a look, pressing their lips together.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you know we think you’re better than that, but you’ve also shown that you can make your own decisions and that you work hard for them… So yes, we will accept it if you focus on rap. You’re an adult and you can deal with the consequences, which we’ve also told you countless times.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes you have.” Changbin nodded. “And thank you for letting me make my own decisions, I really appreciate it.”</p><p> </p><p>His parents gave a little smile that gave away that they still were uneasy about it, but that they were just tired of constantly arguing with Changbin. <em> Well, I’ll take what I can </em> — or <em> should I try to get some more? </em></p><p> </p><p>“And what about my friends?” He asked. “Will you accept them and let them be too?”</p><p> </p><p>He tried to get ‘Minho’ over his lips too, but he couldn’t yet. <em> Step by step, Changbin. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yes we will.”</p><p> </p><p>“M— Minho too?” Changbin hoped his parents didn’t hear his stutter.</p><p> </p><p>Now their expressions turned sour as if they’ve just eaten a lemon whole. </p><p> </p><p>“I— Well, apparently the Hwangs have decided to accept, uhm, <em> those </em>kind of people, so as long as that Minho guy doesn’t harass you or turn you gay, we will let you be friends with him. Oh, and please don’t let him anywhere near us.”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin made a face but quickly smoothed it out again, hoping his parents didn’t see it. <em> It’s not ideal, but it could have been a lot worse, </em>he thought, so he leaves it with this, pushing further would probably make things worse.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you. I of course don’t tolerate harassment either and I can stand up for myself, so don’t worry!” He said. “Now, can I go and call Chan to ask him if he got the email too? Can I do that in my room?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes yes, you’re not under surveillance anymore. We’ll being doing work downstairs if you need us.”</p><p> </p><p>With that, Changbin almost ran upstairs, getting excited again when he thought about their amazing results. His fingers moved over the screen of his phone in record speed as he called Chan. He already got impatient when it ringed one time before the other picked up.</p><p> </p><p><em> “Hello? Changbin? You are allowed to call?!” </em> The voice of his friend sounded excited. <em> “Did you get the email too? </em> — <em> Yes yes I’ll put him on speaker </em> — <em> Wait, can I?” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Yes you can.” Changbin laughed. “I’m off surveillance, so it’s fine.”</p><p> </p><p><em> “Oh that’s great! Okay, putting you on speaker </em> — <em> Guys, calm down! He said he’s off surveillance, yeah.” </em></p><p> </p><p>Changbin could hear the loud screams in the background and laughed, he missed his friends. </p><p> </p><p>“Anyway,” He began and heard Chan shush the rest. “did you get the email already too? I did, and my parents will let me keep doing rap!”</p><p> </p><p><em> “That’s great!!” </em> Chans voice was barely heard over the screams. <em> “So, you’re… free?” </em></p><p> </p><p>Now it got quiet on the other side of the line, and Changbin hesitated a beat before answering.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, basically, at least with respect to career choices and how I do my final project.” He said and lowered his voice a little for the next part. “And, uhm, I also asked about friends and they said they will let them be and accept whoever I try to be friends with, uhm…”</p><p> </p><p><em> “But?” </em>Minhos voice sounded and Changbins breath hitched.</p><p> </p><p>“When I asked about you they seemed really reluctant, but they said they would let me be friends with you as long as you, uhm, don’t harass me or turn me gay or come anywhere near my parents…” His voice had almost become a whisper. “Which I know you won’t do, that second thing isn’t even possible so… Oh! Also credits to Hyunjin and his parents for helping my parents accept Minho, I think that really gave them the push they needed to, uhm, accept things somewhat.”</p><p> </p><p><em> “Glad to have helped.” </em>Hyunjin sounded, after which it was silent for a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry I couldn’t do more, Minho.” Changbin just said, because it was the only thing that popped into his mind at the moment. </p><p> </p><p>It was silent for a second before Minho answered.</p><p> </p><p><em> “It’s okay, I’m sure you did what you could. Uhm, do you </em> — <em> uhm, no nevermind. Let’s just be happy about your amazing results for the project! We’re all so proud of you two! Will you celebrate?” </em></p><p> </p><p>Changbin was a little surprised by Minhos sudden mood change, but then again, Minho did that more often and he imagined the other didn’t want to discuss things on the phone in front of everyone.</p><p> </p><p>“Uhm, I hadn’t thought about it yet, but I guess I can ask the chef to make a special dinner.” Changbin felt the excitement bubble up again, but not as much as before. “And being able to call you guys is already a gift too, I’m bored out of my mind here.”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Awww! Bin!” “Yeah I bet it must be boring without me.” “Ugh, throwing up right now.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Changbin snickered at the comments his friends made and they started talking about the things Changbin had missed while he wasn’t there and Hyunjin couldn’t update him, although there wasn’t much besides that Chan and Jisung had apparently gotten together, they had played in the snow a lot, and Seungmin and Hyunjin being sappy as always. Before they knew it, an hour had passed while talking about everything and nothing.</p><p> </p><p><em> “Oh wow, we’ve been talking for quite a while.” </em> Chan chuckled. <em> “Well, we’ve missed you, so it was to be expected. Oh! And tomorrow you’re coming back!!” </em></p><p> </p><p>As Chan said that, loud cheering and screaming erupted from the rest and Changbin laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Finally!” </p><p> </p><p><em> “Anyway,” </em> Chan said as the laughter and cheers had died down. <em> “Should we hang up soon? You still need to ask your </em> chef <em> to make something special, or </em> — <em> ” </em> It was quiet for a second. <em> “Do you want to talk to Minho alone?” </em></p><p> </p><p><em> Oh. </em>Changbin hadn’t thought about that yet. Of course he wanted to, but what if his parents suddenly would decide to walk in if they heard about his long phone call? And what if that talk would make him completely aware of everything he felt for the dancer and he wouldn’t be able to hide things in front of his parents anymore? Hell, what would he even say? He had tried his hardest to banish Minho from his thoughts these last three weeks so he hadn’t prepared anything to say.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Bin?” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking about it, uhm, I want to, but, uhm, uhm—”</p><p> </p><p><em> “Bin.” </em> Minhos voice stopped him. <em> “It’s okay, let’s not do it. I get it if it’s still too risky or something. You’re coming back tomorrow anyway. Now go and ask that chef to make your favorite food and go celebrate.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“O— Okay. Yeah. Thank you guys!” Changbin answered. “See you tomorrow!!”</p><p> </p><p><em> “See you tomorrow, Changbin!” </em>The rest screamed simultaneously and Changbin waited until it was almost completely quiet before finally hanging up. </p><p> </p><p>He sighed and lied down on his bed for a moment, closing his eyes and trying to push all his thoughts about Minho to the back of his mind. <em> Only about half a day left, </em> then <em> I can think about him all I want again, you can do it Changbin.  </em></p><p>He let out a breath and got up again, <em> let’s go ask the chef now. </em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next chapter last chapter!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0028"><h2>28. They would be free</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>At last, he finally saw the dorm building come in sight and he felt a wave of happiness wash over him when he saw his friends jumping and waving outside to greet him, walking towards were the car had stopped. Changbin opened the door of the car and ran towards his friends to hug them. Minho, coincidentally or not so coincidentally, was the one he reached first to give a big hug, hiding his head in the crook of Minhos neck. The dancer groaned a little at Changbins force, but he hugged back with just as much and stroked a hand through his hair, whispering something Changbin couldn’t make out because he felt the rest join their hug, some cheering.<br/>Suddenly a sob escaped from Changbins lips, making him realize he was crying.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Last chappttterrr!!! :o</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>That long awaited morning Changbin got up earlier than he usually did, he couldn’t sleep anymore, filled with excitement and anticipation to see his friends again. He checked his phone to see that Jeongin had already sent him a text that just said ‘:D’, to which he smiled brightly. </p><p>The time couldn’t go by fast enough so he first distracted himself by playing a game on his phone before taking his time with picking out a fancy outfit - something he normally never did - and then going downstairs to have breakfast. He was disappointed to see there had only passed an hour and a half since he had woken up after he had finished his breakfast. <em> Well, then, gym it is. </em></p><p>Changbin went to their home gym and just did some workout to pass the time, this he could do without thinking, so time would hopefully go faster. After his workout he took a long shower and decided to rethink his outfit choices and carefully look through his whole closet to pick out a nice outfit. Then he styled his hair a little bit, not too much though because he didn’t know how. He looked at the clock to see it was only a little more than a half hour until Jihyo would come pick him up. <em> Just enough time to have a quick lunch!  </em></p><p> </p><p>When Jihyo <em> finally </em>arrived, she was a little early even but it didn’t feel like she was, Changbin had to conceal his excitement from his parents and consciously slow his pace while he walked to the car. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, it was nice to have you here for the whole winter break, son. Be safe and take good care of yourself. Oh, and please call or text us once in a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes, I will. Bye!” Changbin just said and after a short wave he was in the car and driving back to the dorms.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The car ride was relatively silent, but Changbin felt that Jihyo sensed his excitement to be back because Changbin was basically bouncing on his seat. He felt a weight fall off his shoulders, and along with the weights that had been falling off yesterday and the days before, almost all his worries were gone now. The worries that were left he would store in the back of his mind and keep there until they would come across them because right now he couldn’t do much about them. </p><p> </p><p>At last, he finally saw the dorm building come in sight and he felt a wave of happiness wash over him when he saw his friends jumping and waving outside to greet him, walking towards were the car had stopped. Changbin opened the door of the car and ran towards his friends to hug them. Minho, coincidentally or not so coincidentally, was the one he reached first to give a big hug, hiding his head in the crook of Minhos neck. The dancer groaned a little at Changbins force, but he hugged back with just as much and stroked a hand through his hair, whispering something Changbin couldn’t make out because he felt the rest join their hug, some cheering.</p><p>Suddenly a sob escaped from Changbins lips, making him realize he was crying. </p><p> </p><p>“Bin? What’s up?” Hyunjin asked when they let go of the hug, and he went in to hug him again.</p><p> </p><p>“I— I don’t know.” Changbin hiccuped, feeling Hyunjin pat his head. He guessed it was just that seeing his friends, especially Minho, and letting his thought roam free again overwhelmed him a little. “I guess I was just so worried the— the whole break about if— about everything— and now I can just let go again and be myself again.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, hey, is Bin okay?” He heard Jihyo ask.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah— yeah I am.” Changbin answered and snorted when he saw she was basically covered in bags.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah! Let’s go inside so that you can drop the bags.” Chan said and hurried over to open the door. “Ready, Changbin?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin wiped his tears away and nodded, taking in the faces of his friends with not blurry vision now, but when his eyes landed on Minho, who was standing at a safe distance now, with a worried look on his face, he felt tears prickle in his eyes again. He wanted to hug him again, but they had to walk up those cursed stairs first. The pats and smiles he got brought him through the journey, but when they reached the dorms he immediately threw off his jacket and shoes and what not and basically jumped onto Minho. <em> Gosh, he’s nice and warm. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Wh— Bin?” The dancer said. “Did something happen?”</p><p> </p><p>Changbin shook his head into Minhos neck. “I just— I just couldn’t think about you the whole time and I missed you. And I feel like I need to tell you and show you that you are loved, even though you didn’t hear the things my family said about you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Changbin…” He heard Minho swallow thickly and he felt him lay his head on his shoulder too so that his breath hit his neck. “So— so you still..?”</p><p> </p><p>“Still like you? Still want to be with you? Of course I do! More than ever!” Changbins squeezed the other and let go a little to look him in the eyes. Both of their eyes were shining and the only time he had seen Minho like this was in the bathroom at the uni after the showcase. Minho looked at him for a moment before speaking. </p><p> </p><p>“Good, just checking if you didn’t have second thoughts about being a rebel.” Minho grinned through his teary eyes and cupped Changbins cheeks. Changbin couldn’t help but smile as well, Minho didn’t have to be serious for him, he could tease and joke around however much he wanted because Minho would show through his actions rather than through words how he felt about others. </p><p> </p><p>Changbin could look at Minhos face for hours, especially after he hadn't seen him in a while, but it seemed like Minho had other plans. The dancer was moving closer and closer until his face was too close for Changbin to fully capture in his view. Looking at Minhos gorgeous eyes wasn't a bad alternative to seeing his whole face, though, the eyes that scrunched up whenever he smiled his amazing smile, the eyes that seemed to reflect light prettier than any other pair of eyes could, and the eyes that were now slowly closing as Minho closed the small gap that was still between them. </p><p> </p><p>Warmth spread through his body when Changbin felt Minhos soft lips on his. The kiss was tender, making Changbin melt into it. In Minhos arms he felt safe, he felt like he could be himself and that they would face whatever problems they might encounter together, and that even if things got hard, that they would get through it together. </p><p>He tried to pull the other as close as he physically could and then more as they passionately but softly moved their lips over each other. This was exactly what Changbin needed right now, he needed Minho. </p><p> </p><p>“You are amazing.” Changbin breathed as they parted, and he wasn’t necessarily referring to their kiss.</p><p> </p><p>“I know.” Minho smiled lovingly and brushed his thumbs over Changbins cheeks. “You are at least as amazing.”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“So, uhm, how are we proceeding? Or you?” Felix asked at dinner. If he was honest, he didn’t really get what had happened since Changbin had come back. During the phone call he had apologized that he couldn’t do more for Minho, but now they had been kissing almost the whole time until dinner.</p><p> </p><p>Minho looked at Changbin for an answer. <em> Wait, they hadn’t talked about it yet either? </em></p><p> </p><p>“I won’t hold myself back in being who I am and I won’t restrict myself anymore unless it’s necessary.” Changbin said determinedly. “My parents have said they won’t interfere with my decisions and that I have to deal with the consequences myself unless I get hurt or some bla bla, so I will make my own decisions to the fullest.”</p><p> </p><p>Felix involuntarily smiled and when he looked around he saw the rest do the same. Yes, things could probably be better, but if Felix thought about the past he knew that things were already better than back then, and he felt that over time things could only continue to get better.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Minho,” Changbin continued and turned to the dancer, holding up the hand he apparently had been holding during dinner. “will you be my boyfriend?”</p><p> </p><p>“Hell yeah.” Minho smiled widely and squeezed their hands.</p><p> </p><p>“So we have three pairs of boyfriends in this dorm?” Jeongin asked, eyeing towards Chan and Jisung.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh shit!” Jisung slapped a hand in front of his mouth. “That was what I was forgetting!”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin burst out in laughter and Felix did the same. There hadn’t changed that much between Chan and Jisung since they had confessed to each other, they were taking it slowly, mostly just Jisung showering Chan in kisses all over his face while they cuddled, sometimes ending it with a proper kiss. </p><p> </p><p>“We don’t have to rush it.” Chan laughed. “Let me first take you out on a few dates maybe?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t think I need that to decide, though.” Jisung answered.</p><p> </p><p>“Please, I insist.” Chan said and grabbed his hand. “I want you to be sure.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, if you insist…” Jisung gave in and pointed a finger. “But be prepared to be my boyfriend after one date already!”</p><p> </p><p>Chan just laughed at the others joked threat after which they continued their dinner. Felix smiled to himself as Changbin told them about songs he had been writing while being bored at home. Tomorrow the new semester would begin and Chan, Changbin and Minho would start their end project with which they would close off their studies, and Felix felt confident for the three. </p><p>He was sure that this new semester in this new year would bring new and better opportunities and circumstances for them and the rest of his roommates, he wasn’t completely sure why he felt this way, but something about his three friends, and the rest of his roommates for that matter, screamed determination, determination to do well, determination to succeed, determination to change things for the better, and most of all, determination to be free.</p><p> </p><p>Yes, Felix was sure, they would be free.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Who is bad at writing endings? Me.</p><p>Anyway, hope you enjoyed this (bc I struggled with this one dkjgjkd)!!!! Please leave a comment with how you liked it, even if it's short :D</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you want, you can find me on <a href="https://kokoskwark.tumblr.com">Tumblr</a><br/>And on <a href="https://twitter.com/kokoskwark?s=09">twitter!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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